A Book Of Going Forth By Day
by seductivefeline
Summary: Life is a fickle thing, and doesn't always go as planned. Ryou learns this the hard way as he and his brother are taught how live, thieve and survive by the King of Thieves himself. AU. Eventual "Thief King Ryou".
1. Chapter 1

****A/N:**** This story somehow spouted from coming up with aimless headcanons about Thief King raising Bakura and Ryou. Originally, I wrote it for nanowrimo, but due to a trip I couldn't work on it any longer. I was ready to pitch it, but because my girlfriend seemed to enjoy the whole concept, I decided I would continue it and dedicate it to her for Christmas. /heart

****Rated:**** T, for language and violence. May go up.

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I am not making profit off of this fanfiction, it is merely for pleasure.

* * *

"****The Book Of Going Forth By Day********"****

****Part One****

"__Get back here, you mangy street rats!__"

"Faster!__"__

But he was already going as fast as his stubby legs would allow. Bare, callused feet pounded into the sand as a pair of boys raced through the streets, narrowly dodging the many bystanders that walked about; mostly women holding baskets and pots. Despite their scrawny, lithe forms, neither of them were as nearly as nimble as expected; they were shouldered and tripped many times, barely managing to catch themselves before pumping their weak legs harder.

"__Stop them! Thieves!__"

Hands brushed the boy's shoulders to try and grab for them, but no real effort was made expect by gruff looking men that would enjoy seeing a thief get punished, even ones as young as they; it was quite an amusing show to watch a couple of children be publicly thrown into a pit of crocodiles for stealing. Despite their obvious inexperience, they both managed to dodge the groping palms; they refused to let themselves to be caught so easily, if at all. Every stone and pebble on the ground managed to trip both of them one way or another, but the boys refused to lose their meager plunder that they grasped so tightly within their filthy arms.

The slightly taller of the two had something whisk past his ear; a stone.

"That bastard!__"__

His brother snarled this crossly, but the projectile was avoided; the aim had been horrendously inaccurate. It was assumed this was because the shop-keeper decided that a couple of dusty onions simply wasn't worth the effort.

The final stone thrown managed to hit him right between the shoulder blade and spine, causing him to hiss loudly in pain. However, they both kept kept running; he and his brother needed this food, and no chubby, old shop-keeper was about to stop him with a measly pebble. Then there was a flash of white out of the corner of his eye, followed by a startled scream.

__"A demon!"__

The taller of the boys cursed and suddenly whipped around a corner, a hand over his hair, guiding his brother along with him. They had entered a narrow alley between a couple of stone buildings. They used this to escape the main road and avoid their chaser, who had obviously lost all interest in the two young thieves.

The taller one finally collapsed on the dusty ground once they were safe. His brother trailed behind him, a slight limp in his step, though this was forgotten when he saw the crimson staining the back of the others pale tunic.

"Bakura! You're bleeding!"

The boy by the name of Bakura whipped his head around, garnet eyes glaring daggers at his brother. "Shut your mouth, Ryou. Don't be so loud. That shop-keeper could still be around."

Ryou didn't flinch at his brother's harsh tone, but he took the words to heart and lowered his voice. "You're bleeding..." he repeated worriedly, kneeling on the ground behind Bakura.

"It's fine. I can't even feel it."

The shorter boy sighed and sat back against the stone house. He gazed at his brother with obvious worry. His eyes trailed up and down his brother's body. "Your wig came off."

Bakura slipped his hands into his filthy, cascading hair, which was of a curious white hue. Ryou had grown used to seeing white hair, but as anybody knew, it wasn't a common hair color in Egypt. He slid is own wig off and dropped it on the ground, feeling better having it off.

Their whole family, excluding their mother, had hair as white as a full moon. Their mother had dark hair, though it seemed none of her offspring bore this trait. She also had dark skin, but their father had skin as pale as a sun-bleached bone, and his children did as well. No matter how often they were out in the sun, the hue of their skin never seemed to darken. It made them look different; being different in a land that thrived for consistency and feared change wasn't a positive thing. If they were lucky, the two brothers would be seen as freaks and were simply cast aside.

But at the worst, they were accused of being demons and damned by Ra himself. Just by existing their souls would be devoured by Ammit, which of course shook young Ryou to the core and made him fear death. However, Bakura had always just scoffed at the cruel threats and words. This always seemed to bring Ryou some amount of comfort.

"Nobody saw," Bakura finally lied.

"I heard somebody shout demon."

"They could have been shouting that at anyone."

"Bakura..."

"Shut __up __and eat your onion before your stomach caves in. I can hear the damn thing growl from here."

Ryou gave up arguing and did as as he was told. Even if they were twins, he always did what his brother commanded, and this wasn't just because he was born first by a few minutes. Between the two of them, Ryou was meek, soft-spoken, looked and acted like a woman, while Bakura was a natural leader. Though the elder was reckless and had a wild temper, he was very intelligent.

He peeled the crispy outer layer of his onion off before he sunk his teeth into it. It was sour and bitter against his pallet, but after not eating for what seemed like forever, it was the sweetest and most tantalizing thing he had ever eaten. Unable to control his wild appetite, he scarfed the onion down in only a few gulps. He knew eating like this would result in intense discomfort to his normally empty stomach, but he was absolutely ravenous.

The onion was gone far too soon. He began licking his dirty hands, trying to lap off any remaining flavor. It was then that Bakura shoved his onion over to Ryou.

"Take it."

Ryou frowned and shook his head, "I can't take this. It's yours. You need it."

"I'm not hungry."

The youth gazed at his brother, suspicion dancing in his doe eyes, "...Are you sure? You haven't eaten for as long as I have."

"I'm fine. I swear... __just eat it__."

Ryou bit his chapped lip, but again, he did as he was told. His brother was smart. He was a liar and reckless sometimes, but he was clever too. Ryou trusted him. He nodded obediently and quickly tucked into the vegetable. He tried to pace himself, but he ended up devouring it almost as fast as the first. When he was done, Bakura was already standing.

"Come on. We should get out of here." Bakura commanded, his voice sullen. Ryou nodded and stood. The two headed down the alleyway, hand in hand.

...

__"Abbi's[1] home!"__

__Whenever Ryou heard those words, he had always been filled with excitement.__

__Amane was always the first to spot him, since she was usually hiding on the roof of their hut and claiming it was her castle. Their father often left from a couple of days to a week at a time. This trip had been long; two whole weeks. He had gone to the nearest village to sell some goods and buy essentials.__

__That particular day had been boring for Ryou. He had done his chores already that morning, so he drew things in the sand with a stick, but once those words were jubilantly shouted from his sister's lips, he raised sights eagerly to the horizon.__

__When he came riding in from the distance on their family's elderly horse, Ryou and Amane had bounded out to meet him, kicking sand on their excited wake. He slid off the mount and welcomed both of his children into a hug. Ryou was always excited for his return, and not only because he would go days without seeing him; he sometimes brought treats for them as well, like sugar and honey.__

__This time he brought new tunics for his two sons, one of which was not present for the man's return.__

__"You two are growing up. You need them," he explained as Ryou excitedly took the fabric. Up until now, he and his brother went around in small shendis, or nothing at all. Ryou pulled the tunic over himself. It felt weird to have something covering the top half of his normally bare body.__

__"If you come with me to the village, you must wear that."__

__Ryou's eyes had lit up at the prospect of going to the village; his father always told the greatest stories about the folk there. "You're gonna take us to the village?!"__

__His father smiled warmly at his excitement. "Perhaps."__

__Ryou's eyes continued to gleam with excitement, but then a thought dawned on him and he asked, "Why do I have to wear it, anyways?"__

__"Because it is inappropriate for a boy your age to walk around naked amongst other people," his father explained, his eyes averted to the ground.__

__Ryou nodded in exaggerated understanding.__

__"You must also wear a wig."__

__He was confused by this; he liked his hair. He thought it was neat and unique, the thought of covering it was unappealing. "Why a wig?"__

__"Because... other people wouldn't understand."__

__His father never elaborated further.__

…

Ryou snapped awake. He frowned, feeling doleful at the dream he had – though it was more of a memory. He had been having a lot of those recently, and it made him uneasy. A slight whimper escaped him as he nestled up against his brother's side. He knew he would be scolded for being scared and upset by his dream, but he couldn't help it.

"Bakura..?"

His brother grumbled in response and turned his gaze to his brother. He had never been asleep.

Ryou buried his face into the dirt-coated sleeve of his brother's tunic and sniffled. "I had another dream about __Abbi__."

He heard a scoff come from the elder. "Don't be so weak, Ryou. Crying about it isn't going to bring him back, you know."

"I-I know... but I can't help it," Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura, ignoring the disgruntled noises that resulted in the gesture. "I miss him."

"Ryou, you're a boy. Boys don't cry."

A silence stretched between them as Ryou cried into his brother's sleeve. He knew boys his age didn't cry – at age nine, he was nearly considered a man – but he couldn't keep the tears from escaping him, nor the whimpers from bubbling up his throat.

An arm slithered around his lithe form and roughly patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort. Ryou looked up from the stained tunic, red-faced, as Bakura kept his stoic expression masked across his features. His brother gave him no recognition other than the arm secured around his frail shoulders. The youth smiled softly and nestled himself against his brother's side, slipping his eyes closed.

Ryou felt absolutely uneasy with their surroundings; they were under a broken crate. His toes were frozen, and the cold night winds were barely broken by the rotting wood that made up their shelter. Still, the boy felt better with his brother next to him.

His smile remained on his face as he slipped into a light doze.

...

__Like every morning, he slept past Ra's awakening. He was a heavy sleeper, and he enjoyed remaining in a comatose state for as long as possible. In fact, he probably would have slept the whole morning away if not for...__

__"Ryou! Ryou! Mut[2] says it's time to wake up!"__

__He peeled his eyes open to see the beaming face of a young girl. There was a gap between her front teeth as she grinned at her sleepy brother.__

__"Come on! You hafta help make clean up after breakfast since you slept in!"__

__"Okay, Amane."__

__He whined, though he had expected this punishment; he got it just about every morning. He peeled his body off the mat and yawned. Apparently his face was funny when he did, because the girl began giggling.__

__Their hut was already buzzing with activity. It was curious how he even managed to sleep through his mother putting together breakfast, his brother being obnoxious and his father constantly walking in and out of the main room. He scratched at his body as he accepted some bread and water from his mother. He scarfed it with zealous, enjoying the way it felt on his stomach.__

__He then cleaned up after his messy siblings and helped his mother tidy. Before he retreated outside to play, his mother beckoned him closer. She smiled and passed him a small cup of goat's milk, which he eagerly drank. Milk was a treat since they only had two milking goats and a family of five. He thanked her before racing outside to find his brother and sister.__

__As usual, Bakura was terrorizing Amane. He was jumping out from a rock while wailing loudly, causing Amane to jump with fright and tumble to the ground. She laid in the dust, her recently cleaned shendi filthy now, and glared at her older brother.__

__"Not funny, Bakura!"__

__He cackled and raced off while shouting, "It so was!"__

__Ryou smiled and went to her kid sister. He squatted down next to her, a playful smirk gracing his lips. "You wanna get Bakura back?"__

__Amane, who had been quivering and frowning, instantly brightened at his words. "Yeah!"__

…

"Are you sure there's food here?"

"__Shhh!"__

Ryou frowned and clenched his grumbling belly. It had been a whole two days since they had those onions, and he was __starving. __After much persisting (complaining) he finally convinced (annoyed) his brother into making another attempt at getting some food __without __stealing it. Ryou, despite his hunger, didn't support his brother stealing their meager meals.

However, Ryou wasn't very convinced they would find food __here__. It was an abandoned remains of a hut on the outskirts of the city, and it had obviously already been picked clean by beggars. Still, the elder wasn't deterred as he picked through the rubble. Ryou hovered near what was once the entrance to the hut, shuffling his feet in the sand and stone.

"Come on and help me, or you aren't getting anything I find."

Ryou's stomach grumbled at the prospect of going without food any longer, so he walked into the crumbled stones and picking through them. It was hard work for his young and frail body; he could barely lift the stones that were half the size of his cranium. As he looked around, he only found ragged clothes and broken pots. Some rats scuffled out from some of the unturned stones, startling Ryou into nearly falling.

"I don't like this," he complained as he kicked a piece of a broken pot.

"Tough," Bakura grumbled harshly, obviously not up for Ryou's bellyaching.

He knew he had to help his brother, but the task of picking through stones was so grueling and difficult, he wasn't sure how long he could keep it up. The harsh Egyptian sun beat overhead, making his blood boil and his skin fry. His mind began to feel fuzzy and light; he wondered if he was going to get heat exhaustion at this point. Normally during midday, they would be resting in some shade, not out lifting stones. Ryou yearned for the days where the most work he had to do was feed the animals and help his mother in the field.

Though working in their field was hard work, he usually did it with __Mut__, who helped make a game of it. She would also share old wife's tales and stories of the Gods, distracting him from the many tasks that he had to do to maintain the crops. With all the games and story-telling, it hardly seemed like work to him, but rather a time to bond with his mother.

But his brother needed him to help. He bit back a complaint and continued to work, only to be startled by a sudden crash.

"Bakura!"

Ryou's voice was horrified as he practically swam through the rocks to get to his brother, who had collapsed lifelessly onto a pile of stones. He panicked as he tried to grab Bakura's body, which lay lifelessly against the dusty ground.

After a horrifying moment, Bakura gave a weak grunt and peeled his eyes open. Ryou breathed a sigh of relief.

"I told you boys don't cry," His brother grumbled as managed to sit up. Ryou winced; the simple task looked as if it was difficult. He then pressed his fingers to his eyes, feeling the beginnings of tears.

"I thought you were dead! What happened?"

"All I did was pass out."

Ryou was sick with worry. "We should get you out of the sun –"

"No!" Bakura hissed and shoved his brother off of him. "We need to look for food in this pile of rubbish, because __somebody __doesn't want to steal it."

Ryou looked away guiltily; he knew better than to argue, even if he wanted to. He got up and went back to work, but he kept a close eye on his brother, who was now shaking.

In the end, they only found a piece of discarded moldy bread. Ryou almost downed it right away, but Bakura ripped it from his hands, flung it to the ground, then stepped on it with his heel. He then growled that they would not to sink so low as to eat food that had obviously gone bad, that it was bad enough they had to search for scraps like a couple of mangy rats.

Ryou knew this was his fault; he insisted they not steal.

Even if he was starving, he wouldn't steal from other people. His father had been very adamant on telling them that thievery was bad, and Ryou took that to heart.

...

__The two kept their distance from their brother. It took a lot of plotting and planning, but the two had come up with the__ perfect__revenge. The two children cackled as they moved in. Alone, Ryou was always very meek, but her spunky younger sister always gave him confidence to do things he would never consider doing.__

__Bakura had went to the river that evening to bathe. The two knew that Bakura resented the water, and didn't even wade in the shallows to wash. He simply took a cloth and wiped his own body down while standing only ankle-high.__

__Ryou and Amane were crouching in the reeds, watching Bakura approach the bank. He seemed unsuspecting of his siblings as he took of his shendi and dipped the ragged cloth into the river. In the dwindling light of dusk, the two younger siblings easily moved in without being spotted.__

__Ryou mouthed a countdown to his little sister before the two burst from the reeds, screaming and waving their arms.__

__Bakura cried out, startled, and fell into the river with a loud splash. Both Ryou and Amane exploded into laughter, daring not to go closer to the drenched Bakura who was pulling himself from the muddy shallows.__

__He panted, still appearing to be afraid, before his eyes focused on Amane and Ryou. He then darkened and pounced up, "Why did you do that?!"__

__"That was for scaring me earlier!" Amane laughed before she turn and ran, followed quickly by Ryou, then by an angry, wet, naked Bakura.__

__A string of curses that shouldn't be spoken by any nine year old escaped Bakura's mouth as he chased the two of them around the muddy reeds. This only made the whole situation funnier; Amane was screeching with laughter while Ryou had a wide grin plastered across his features.__

__The two ran into the shallows of the river and stopped to catch their breath. Bakura hesitated on the bank, looking as if he were debating whether it was worth wetting himself further just for the sake of punishing his siblings for getting him so drenched in the first place. He took some tentative steps into the river, only to hiss and retreat as Amane made a gutsy move and splashed some water at him.__

__The two giggled as they watched Bakura seethe on the bank, looking much like an unhappy, sodden feline.__

__"Get over here so I can teach you a lesson!" Bakura growled, clenching his fists and glaring daggers.__

__"Never!" The two siblings chirped. The elder of the three then lost his patience and ran into the river, ignoring his dislike of the liquid for the sake of catching his siblings. The two weren't ready for this and yelled out in fright, retreating down river to avoid their livid brother.__

__They continued this game of cat and mouse until Ryou suddenly stopped, noticing the sky. "We need to go home. __Mut__will have supper waiting."__

__Bakura finally managed to make it to his brother. He punched him lightly in the shoulder, "I'm eating your serving."__

__"But I'm hungry!"__

__"Yeah well, you shouldn't have pushed me into the river."__

__"I didn't push you. We __scared__you into falling."__

__"Pushed!"__

__The two brothers bickered as they raced towards their hut. Amane was a pace or two behind them, giggling openly at their banter. When she stopped. Ryou cast a quick glance back at her, raising his brow curiously. She was staring out at the horizon, a look of concern on her normally carefree features.__

__Ryou stopped as well. "What is it?"__

__"There's... fire."__

__Ryou looked. Sure enough, against the darkening horizon, there was a flickering glow. His eyes widened and he wondered what it could mean. Perhaps it was a caravan daring to travel at night...?__

__"We should go tell __Mut,__" He said, concerned.__

__Bakura scoffed, "Who cares what it is? I'm hungry. Stop gawking and let's go get supper."__

__Amane seemed okay with the prospect of eating and forgot about her inquiry, however Ryou was still uneasy...__

…

Ryou woke, once again, in the early hours of the morning. Ra had yet to awaken when he heard the voices. Flecks of fire and light, broken by the silhouettes of men, appeared down the alley. His heart raced as memories surfaced, but he didn't feel fear until he heard what the men were saying.

"__Are you sure they had white hair?__"

"__I told you, one of them had white hair, but the other one was obviously wearing a wig."__

__"And you saw them in this area?"__

__"Yes..."__

His heart pounded in his chest as he turned to Bakura, who was sleeping against him. He shook him by the shoulder and whispered loudly, "Bakura, we need to get out of here."

Bakura didn't even stir.

"Bakura? There are bad men coming."

No answer.

"B-Bakura?" Ryou's worry grew. His tone grew more frantic as he shook his brother's shoulders. "Bakura, come on, wake up!"

__"Shh! Wait! I hear something coming from this direction."__

Ryou whimpered and shook his brother harder. There were tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "Bakura wake up! Don't be dead! Don't be dead! Please!"

__"Yeah, I hear it too, this way!"__

The youth was scared as he tried to open his brother's eyes, only to receive no response. "Bakura! BAKURA!"

__"There! I see them!"__

Ryou cried out as a cruel slab of a hand grabbed him by the arm and yanked him away from his brother, who slumped lifelessly without support.

"NO! Let go!" He was hysterical as he tried to get away from the arms that were so much stronger than his meek body. He shook as men – soldiers – swarmed around them. They were big, meaty man with large weapons on their persons, raging from spears to swords. One of them scooped his brother's limp body up with ease.

"These can't be the offspring of the __Thief King__... they're pathetically scrawny and as pale as a bone."

"They're probably bastard sons."

Ryou paid little attention to the men's bickering. He was staring in horror at his brother who was being held up by his hair. Fear of these scary men kept his mouth shut, even if he desperately wanted to shout at the soldier to not hold his brother in such a careless and disrespecting manner.

One of the soldiers turned to a scruffy looking merchant, whom Ryou realized was Bakura and his pursuer from a couple day ago. He was eagerly received some kind of reward – something gold, no doubt, judging by the shiny glimpse Ryou got as it was placed in the merchant's grimy hands.

"Alright, let's go. They can join the rest of the cargo the soldier commanded, his eyes and voice full of authority.

Ryou suddenly found himself being dragged from the alley he and his brother had been sheltering in. He cried out and began to writhe desperately; fear of his own life was fueling his fight or flight instinct – and his instinct was telling him flight. He had to run and to hide – these men were bad and scary.

But he couldn't leave his brother. His poor brother, who was limp in the rough hands of the soldier ahead of him.

"Don't!" He cried out, "Don't treat him like that!"

Suddenly, the air was knocked out of him as he was kicked to the ground. The soldier that had been handling him growled at his discarded form, "Quiet,__hayawan!__ Didn't your father teach you to respect your superiors?"

Ryou coughed violently before he was hoisted into the air again. His body hurt terribly, so struggling was becoming more and more difficult. His movements became sluggish.

It wasn't long before they exited the alley. It was then that Ryou was forced to the ground again. A knee pressed into his back as his hands were twisted behind him and tied together with a rough rope. The body lifted off of him and pulled him harshly from the ground. Ryou whimpered, finding his arms to be tied.

They were also tying his brother's arms. Ryou cried out when they threw his body to the ground, "Don't hurt him! He's already sick!"

"Keep your mouth shut, boy."

The soldier smacked the back of his head as he said this, causing him to fumble to the ground. The man watched, a cruel sneer on his face, as Ryou wriggled around in the sand in a desperate attempt to get to his feet. His head was pounding, his vision distorted. He looked like a fish out of water as he writhed in the dirt. His pathetic attempts to stand were obviously amusing, because the soldiers began to scoff and snicker.

Fresh tears prickled in Ryou's eyes as he gave up and laid on the ground. The man took this as a signal to grab him by the hair and hoist him onto one of the awaiting horses. He threw him stomach-first across the beast's shoulders, as if he were nothing more than a sack of rotten vegetables.

Ryou watched them throw Bakura in the same manner – if not a bit harsher – onto another horse. He stared in desperation, praying for his brother to wake and figure a way out of this.

He wasn't even sure if his brother was alive anymore. The thought made him whimper again; he couldn't afford to lose another family member; he still wasn't over __Mut, Abbi __andAmane.

"B-Bakura...! Wake up!" He begged, earning another slap from the man.

"The next time you talk, I won't hesitate to gag you."

When the man said this, he screamed and writhed around, startling the horse.

"NO! BAKURA! __WAKE UP!__"

His sobbing and begging and shaking made the horse begin to move around in a panicked manner. The soldiers attempted to calm it down, bringing even more anxiety to the poor animal. The horse heaved itself into the air, bucking its front hooves out as the soldiers grabbed for its reins. Ryou cried out as he tumbled off the horse. As he hit the ground, agony spiked throughout his head and blackness overcame him within moments.

…

__Smoke filled every orifice. Ryou cried out, desperately trying to spot his parents through the thick haze that blanketed his vision.__

__"Mut? Abbi?!"__

__The only replies were more screams. Ryou whimpered and pressed himself against the floor, fear and panic ripping through him. He knew the scream had come from his mother, who was somewhere outside the hut. He couldn't make out his father's voice or form anywhere within the hut; most of the building was being consumed by fire. Their food, their furniture, their mats were all becoming lost to the flames.__

__It had all happened so quickly, Ryou's head was still spinning. They had been eating dinner, chuckling and talking amongst one another. He had forgotten all about the fire he had seen in the distance, his thoughts replaced instead with freshly made bread and stew.__

__And then the sound of horse hooves. Cruel voices spouting curses that his mother told him never to utter. His father's gaze snapped to attention, his eyes gleaming with fear. Ryou barely had time to think before a flickering arrow whisked through the open window, setting everything in the hut aflame. He felt the arms of his father around him, steering him away from the lapping flames. He was flung onto the ladder up to the loft.__

__"Hide. Do not make a sound. Do not come out no matter what."__

__Ryou had heeded those words and scrambled over to his parent's bed, hiding under the blankets and trying to stifle his sobs. He had prayed to the Gods to protect his father and the rest of his family from the bad men outside the hut.__

__The ladder creaked. Ryou peeked out from the blankets, seeing a shadow of a man against the flickering fire. He chocked on a sob and withdrew under the blanket, praying for a miracle.__

__His blanket was ripped off of him, and his brother's voice filled his ears, "Come on, get up, we need to leave."__

__Ryou looked up at Bakura, his face tear-stained, "A-abbi told me not to leave."__

__"Forget him."__

__Bakura grabbed him by the arm and heaved him to his feet. Ryou continued to cough and sob as his brother practically dragged him across the loft, down the ladder and through the back door. The journey had only been a few moments, but Ryou's whole body felt burnt and sore. He was shaking when they made it out into the cold night air, but his brother didn't give him a break as he was guided away from the hut.__

__"Where's Mut? Where's Abbi?" Ryou whimpered, clenching his brother's arm. He wanted the comfort of his parents; he was scared, and he needed to know they were safe.__

__But the words his brother spoke made the pit of his stomach go cold__

__"Dead."__

…

He obviously wasn't out cold for very long; as Ryou peeled his eyes open, he found himself laying across the shoulders of the horse just like before. A soldier sat behind him, guiding the mount through the city. His whole head hurt – no_ – ___throbbed;__ just having his eyes open was painful. A whimper escaped his dry throat as he looked around his surroundings.

"Go back to sleep __boy__, or more trouble will come for you."

The man's tone was bitterly unsympathetic, and it only made Ryou want to cry more. He sniffed quietly and looked away from the cruel man. He searched around for his brother, and felt relief when he saw him on the other horse. Though he was still unconscious – or dead.

"Bakura?" He whispered, then winced; using his throat hurt terribly. He was parched. He looked to the soldier now and gulped. __Abbi__ had always told him there was goodness in people, perhaps there was goodness in this man. Perhaps he was cruel because his job demanded it – perhaps, on the inside, he was a kind person, with a loving wife and children.

"E-excuse me? __Efendim[3]?__" He struggled to speak. The man looked down at him, his eyes glittering with animosity and annoyance.

"I-I'm really thirsty... could I have something to drink?"

All the soldiers scoffed and snickered at the question, making Ryou redden and regret ever asking. The man on the horse grinned – though the expression wasn't particularly friendly.

"Go ahead and give him something to drink."

Suddenly, a flask was forced into his mouth. Something rancid and bitter slid down his throat, causing him to gurgle and sputter. He choked the mysterious liquid back up and proceeded to cough repetitively.

All of the man laughed through his choking. The flask was thankfully removed, but Ryou was left there in pain and discomfort. He looked over to his brother, finding relief in his expressionless, lifeless features. More tears began to appear behind his eyes, and he found himself silently crying, thankful he was being ignored now by the men; they would surely taunt him for shedding tears.

Boys didn't cry. Men didn't cry.

But he did.

What did that make him?

A startled yell erupted through the air, startling Ryou from his sorrowful brooding. He turned his head to the noise just in time to see the man on the horse in front of them suddenly slither lifelessly to the ground, a pool of crimson seeping out from under him. The man on his horse grabbed the reins tightly, struggling to control the startled beast.

"__What happened?!"__

__"Watch out!"__

__"Draw your weapons!"__

Shouts and commands surrounded him as the soldiers jumped into action. Swords were unsheathed, spears were raised. The men were ready for whatever threat had just slain their fellow soldier. Or at least, they assumed they were ready. Suddenly another terrorized screech cut through the air as another man fell forward, a knife that came seemingly from nowhere lodged right in his back. The skilled force went unseen as more and more of the soldiers fell, dying before they even had a chance to defend themselves. The men were obviously growing scared as their gazes darted to a fro, trying to make out their invisible enemy in the darkness.

The soldier on the horse jumped off the horse and grabbed Ryou, holding him roughly at his side as he raised his sword to seemingly nothing. "Show yourself! I know it's you __Thief King!"__

There was a cackle. It was dark and sultry as it echoed along the streets, through the alleys, and into the night sky. With a spatter of blood, a knife was suddenly lodged into his jugular. Ryou whimpered in fright and took a step back. The cruel soldier sputtered, cursing the man in front of him before slipping lifelessly to the ground, the dagger sliding out of his throat with a sickening noise.

With the soldier dead, Ryou was now face-to-face with their mysterious attacker. He was a massive man in crimson, sharp, gray eyes gleaming dangerously beneath a head-dress. A smirk was plastered against his scarred face. It seemed to raise as he watched the man bleed to death at his feet.

Ryou mewled in fright and stumbled backwards, falling onto his rear. The strange man watched him for a moment before stepping over the soldier and walking towards him.

The boy cried out and tried to scoot backwards, but it was futile as the man easily caught up with his weak body. The man bent over, pushing Ryou onto his stomach. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook, expecting a blade to cut into the back of his neck, ultimately ending his life at the meager age of nine...

Until he felt his arms loosen. The man had released him of his binds. Ryou sat up and rubbed his wrists, looking up at the man with pure awe. The look he got in return was a stoic expression that reminded him so much of his brother...

__Bakura!__

When he was reminded of his brother, all fear for the man in red left him as he jumped up and ran past his attacker – no, __savior.__ At some point during the attack, Bakura had fallen off the horse that was nowhere to be seen. He laid motionless in the dust, his broken and lifeless form making Ryou cry out in worry.

The boy knelt next to his brother and shook his dusty shoulders. "__Brother! __Wake up! Come on, the bad men are dead!"

Of course, he got no response. His brother didn't even show the slightest signs of life, making Ryou tear up once more. He continued shaking him, hoping that he would see a pair of angry irises stare up at him.

His red savior suddenly appeared noiselessly next to him, crouching down so he was able to reach his fallen brother.

"Don't hurt him!" Ryou begged, his doe eyes wide and blurry with tears.

The man's expression remained flat as he took the lifeless Bakura in his arms and tossed him over his shoulder. He then stood, turned, and began disappearing down an alleyway, his brother in tow.

Ryou watched, wide-eyed, before he jumped up and raced after him.

…

__Dead? Dead...? Their mother, their beautiful, lovely, sweet, kind mother dead?__

__"You're lying!" Ryou cried, trying to yank his arm from the iron grip his brother had on his arm. "Mut says you shouldn't lie!"__

__"She's dead, Ryou! Now shut your mouth! Those men are still around!"__

__Ryou barely heard him. He quivered, fresh tears welling up from his already-blurry eyes. He allowed himself to be dragged, whimpering all the while. Bakura remained quiet as he pulled Ryou away from their hut, their home, and out into the desert.__

__They walked for what seemed like forever. Ryou's sobs eventually turned to sniffles and quiet whimpers. Bakura went from dragging to allowing Ryou to hold onto his hand. Ryou knew his brother hated it, but right now, he didn't care. His whole body was in agony; his skin felt hot and dirty. His new tunic was coated with smoke and soot, his throat was parched, his eyes were dry...__

__But worst of all, their home had been destroyed, and their family was nowhere to be found. He took to clenching Bakura's hand each time that thought flitted through his mind.__

__"A-are we going to the village?"__

__Bakura didn't answer.__

__"Are we going to meet A-abbi out here? Or Mut?"__

__Silence.__

__"I-I hope they made it out okay... We need to find them, Bakura –"__

__Bakura yanked his hand away, whipped around, and screamed, "Shut up! SHUT UP! Don't you __understand__? They're dead! Mut is dead, and so is Abbi, and so is Amane! I wasn't lying when I told you they were gone, Ryou! Get it through your head; THEY'RE DEAD!"__

__Ryou winced as if he had been struck. He then took a step back, disbelieving. "I-I don't believe you..."__

__"Well you better, because I'm speaking the truth!" Bakura was snarling viciously. "They're dead, Ryou, and we're on our own. So shut your mouth and stop crying like a baby!"__

__"B-but..."__

__"There are no buts, Ryou! They're gone! GONE!"__

__He snapped and burst into tears. "NO They can't be gone!" He whipped around and began running in the direction he though their hut was.__

__He was roughly grabbed by the tunic, effectively ripping the fabric. "Stop! You're going to get yourself killed if you go back, idiot!"__

__Ryou yanked at his arm, wailing at his brother, "They aren't dead! We're going to go back and they'll be there!"__

__"Their bodies will, if they haven't been burned! Ryou, they're DEAD! I saw them DIE!" Bakura was shaking as he clenched tighter onto Ryou's arm. "They beheaded all of them... even Amane..."__

__Ryou's blood ran cold. "A-amane..."__

__"We need to leave, Ryou."__

__"..."__

__"Before they catch up with us."__

__"..."__

__"Come on."__

__Ryou slid down to his knees, his arm slipping from Bakura's grasp. He hunched over, his fingers digging into the sand as began sobbing again. He sobbed for his family, who were now all dead. He sobbed for his mother, his father, and his sister... his sister who had only recently turned six...__

__He'll never know their company ever again... Never to see his mother's smile, enjoy his sister's laugh, or hear his father's stern yet loving tone. Tears spilled from his eyes, moans left his parched throat until he started coughing and choking. Saliva, that turned gray from smoke-inhalation, sputtered out from his mouth as coughs tore violently through his weak body.__

__They're dead.__

__They're all dead.__

__"B-bakura..." Ryou wailed as he buried his face in his hands, "W-what are we going to do...?"__

__There was a long silence before Bakura answered, his voice hard with determination.__

__"Survive."__

* * *

[1] "Abbi" means dad.

[2] "Mut" means mom.

[3] "Efendim" means sir.

I used Google search to find these out, so it could be wrong. R&amp;__R.__


	2. Chapter 2

_*Re-upload. This chapter was originally deleted for whatever reason._

* * *

Ryou couldn't bring himself to relax like he should have been. After his ordeal, he wanted nothing more than to bury himself among soft blankets and sleep. He felt faint and his body begged for sleep, yet his eyes remained open. The man in red had been his savior, but he couldn't help the fear that still gripped his chest as he watched the man from afar. He was torn between remaining in the only place where he felt somewhat comfortable – a dark corner near the exit, unnoticed – or investigate what the man was doing to his brother.

He had brought jars and linens over to the low bed in which Bakura had been placed on. For a man that had killed so smoothly and professionally, he was being unexpectedly gentle as he tended to the boy.

Ryou pulled his knees closer to his chest, watching the man's every move with suspicion. He had no right to feel this way; the man had saved him from whatever ill fate the soldiers had planned for him and his brother. Ryou's innocent mind couldn't even begin to conjure up the kinds of punishments that could have befallen him and Bakura.

After the bad men had been killed by his red savior, Ryou found himself following him like a blind sheep. The man had moved swiftly through the city, Bakura's limp body nestled in his arms. Ryou said nothing, for he had made the decision to stay his tongue; speaking felt too dangerous. He followed diligently, despite his sickening worry and aching body. He had stumbled many times due to fatigue, but he forced himself to keep moving, to keep following this strange man.

They had eventually left the main part of the city and to the outskirts, where he and his brother had always avoided. There were mad men here, as well as beggars. Ryou found himself drifting closer to the man that held his brother as he saw the gleaming eyes of men who were sick in the mind. Their frail bodies _slithered_ from the shadows, moving weakly through the streets, even at night.

Ryou felt unsafe when the sun was set; the dark expansion of the night sky was ominous. His guide seemed completely at ease as he moved about the night; his steps had been confident and quick, making it difficult for Ryou to keep up.

Eventually, their journey had come to an end when he arrived at a pile of ruins. It looked like it had once been a marvelous tower, but had been long since forgotten. The beautiful, artistic walls had become rubble. The stone floor became nothing more than a layer of cool sand. The man had guided Ryou around some large boulders and broken walls before he seemingly disappeared under the ground. Upon closer inspection, Ryou had found a hole amongst all the discarded, weather-worn stones.

The man didn't explain where they were as they slipped into the main chamber. Ryou had expected something cold and dank, but instead found a small yet marvelous room. Each corner shimmered with golds and jewels – more than Ryou had ever seen. The walls were lined with tables, each surface covered in different treasures. The scones on the walls flickered, their light causing everything in the room shimmer beautifully.

Ryou's breath had been taken away. While he had marveled the room, the man had laid Bakura onto the bed near the far wall. Ryou's awe of the room diminished quickly, his anxiety returning. He had followed this man – this _murderer_ – into his very own lair. He could easily have just as bad as intentions as those men that had taken him and his brother, or the men that had slain his family.

Realizing his stupidity, he had fearfully retreated into the closest corner and squatted down, where he was presently. He hadn't moved since they arrived who knows how long ago. His tired limbs felt sore and stiff. He was sure the sun had risen by now, but he had yet to get sleep; he was too restless and frightened. He could only sit on the cold stone and watch this man – this _murderer_ – tend to his brother.

By now, Ryou was sure his brother was alive, or else this man wouldn't have lugged him through the city, nor wouldn't have been tending to him currently. Yet, he was still distressed; his poor brother was so weak he couldn't even regain consciousness. The smallest whimper escaped his chapped lips and he broke eye contact with the man to dig his face into his knees in an attempt to keep his tears at bay.

He remained like this until he heard movement come from across the room. His gaze snapped up in time to see his host walk away from his brother. Ryou scrambled out of his hiding spot, doing his best to make as little noise as possible, and darted over to his brother.

His tunic had been removed at some point so the stranger could tend to him. Ryou gasped, seeing for the first time what an awful shape his brother was in.

His stomach was sunken in to the point where Ryou was sure there was no room for organs. Each and every rib was pushing against his peaked skin. He barely seemed human. How was Bakura even alive? He cried out and snatched his brother's hand, noticing for the first time how light it felt and how boney the fingers were.

Somehow, Ryou found more tears to shed.

"Here."

The boy jumped nearly a foot and whipped around like a startled feline. The stranger stood right next to him – Ryou didn't even notice his approach. He gulped, staring up and down the man's body before noticing he was holding out a clay jug. With a shaking and hesitant grasp, he took the jug.

"Drink."

He stared at the piece of pottery. He moved it around, hearing a slosh. Excitement filled him as he put the jug to his lips, eagerly drinking the liquid that met his dry mouth –

It took all his willpower not to spit the liquid back up. He sputtered as it dribbled down his chin, but he forced himself to swallow it anyway before he shoved the jug back at the man.

"It's beer, kid. Haven't you ever had it before?"

Ryou shrunk away and sheepishly shook his head. He never had an interest for beer; he preferred water and milk. Even when his father offered it to him, he refused. The man gave a grumble and left, returning with a different jug. He roughly shoved it at Ryou. "Drink this then. But not too much of it. I don't have a lot and I hate making trips to the well."

This time when Ryou drank, his pallet sung. Even if the water was warm and stagnant, it felt wonderful on his dry throat. He could have drank forever, but he steeled himself and only allowed a couple gulps before returning the jug to the man. He then turned his attention back to his brother.

"He's weak, but he should survive."

Ryou remained quiet, though he looked to the side in the man's direction with a curious expression.

The man sighed. "I said he _should _survive. The fact he's still alive is a miracle. Once he wakes, he'll be able to eat and get some meat on his bones."

Ryou perked at the mention of food, though he tried to hide it; he didn't want to seem rude, even in his state of starvation.

The man seemed to notice anyway as the slightest smirk tugged at his lips. "I bet you're hungry, kid. You don't look much better off than he does."

Ryou gave a docile nod and looked at the ground, feeling ashamed to be reliant on this murderer for both his brother's recovery and for his own basic survival needs. Ryou remained latched to his brother even as the mysterious man walked away again. He returned the jug to its place before he turned to one of the many baskets. He slipped his hand inside and pulled out something Ryou was sure he had never seen before.

Though as he got closer, and Ryou got a better look, his eyes widened.

_ Meat!_

He had only had meat a few rare times in his life. As nothing more than common farmers, his family could never afford to trade enough things to get meat. Whenever one of their animals died, their father usually took the meat to town, since he could get plenty of good things for it. A few times though, he prepared it and they would feast on jerky for days.

His mouth watered at the memory. His hunger got the better of his manners as he snatched the jerky from the large palms of the man and shoved it down his gullet, barely having time to chew. Salty, smoky flavors blanketed his tongue. It was the most delicious thing to have ever traveled down his throat, even better that the bitter onion from a few days ago. He quickly shoved all of the strips in his mouth, until they were all gone. He looked at his empty hands before looking up at the man, ashamed of what he had done.

If anything, he seemed somewhat amused by Ryou's appetite. He left once more, and Ryou, feeling guilty of his behavior, shrunk back. He slipped onto the edge of the bed next to his brother, still holding his hand and staring down at his sickly form.

"How long has he gone without food?"

The husky voice of the elder man startled him. He hesitated before shrugging; he really didn't know how long it had been since his brother had eaten. Days? Weeks..? Now that he thought about it he hadn't seen Bakura eat for a long time. The few times they had managed to find some food, Bakura had given his serving to his brother...

Ryou's stomach suddenly dropped as realization hit him.

_This was his fault._

His brother was sick because he had given all his food to Ryou. He let out a cry and brought his brother's hand up to his face. His skin felt cold against his tear-stained cheek, only making him cry harder. If his brother died, it would surely be his fault.

"Oh, Bakura, why did you feed me instead of yourself..." Ryou whispered desperately. He didn't expect an answer, but he still wept at his brother's continued silence.

…

Throughout most of the day, Ryou was rooted to the same spot next to Bakura. Even when his eyelids threatened to close, when his muscles stiffened with his position, when he needed to answer the call of nature, he didn't move. He didn't want to leave his brother's side.

Eventually, fearing he would wet himself, he struggled to his aching feet. He gently set Bakura's arm down next to his body and padded across the underground room. He wasn't entirely sure where to go, so he headed through the open doorway and up the long staircase. He was met with the sun and its warmth as he left the chamber, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Being underground didn't suit him; he was used to the open desert, broken only by shrubs, boulders and the churning river.

Ryou walked away from the rubble that surrounded the crack in the ground that led to the chamber. He then relieved himself on some sand once he was sure he wouldn't be caught and get in trouble for not using the designated relief area, wherever it may have been.

Once he was done, he made his way back to the opening in the ground, but not before taking in more of the surroundings. They weren't too far from the city; it could still be seen in the near distance. Where he was standing looked as if it had once been a marvelous building, perhaps even an elaborate tomb, but Ryou couldn't be sure, and he wasn't planning on asking. He closed his eyes and allowed his body to absorb some of the sunlight. The underground had been very cold, so he gave himself a moment to warm his limbs.

Ryou then slipped into the hole and padded down into the darkness. He felt uneasy as shadows began swirling around him, blocking the little sun that managed to stream down the stairwell.

"Lay back down kid, before you hurt yourself," Scoffed a familiar, gruff voice.

He heard Bakura's voice curse in a low tone. Ryou's heart soared as he threw himself down the remaining stairs and ran into the cluttered chamber. His brother was standing – or rather wobbling – right next to the bed, his garnet eyes blazing with anger.

"Bakura!"

Bakura turned to see his brother. Some relief came to his otherwise livid eyes, but he still looked ruffled. He turned back to the man, who had stepped closer.

"Get away from me!"

Sensing trouble, Ryou rushed over to his brother's side and tugged at his arm, desperately attempting to calm him. He knew that if his brother continued talking like this, they could easily be killed. "Bakura, no! This man saved us!"'

"_Saved us_?" Bakura repeated, looking at his brother as if he were crazy. "From what?!"

Ryou rapidly shook his head. "S-something happened..." he then began to elaborate on the events of the previous night, not sparing any details.

"Last night I woke up and heard some bad men talking. That man we stole those onions from turned us in to the guards. They tracked us into that alley. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't! You wouldn't and it was scary! Then they captured us and they were going to take us somewhere... I don't know where... but they were scary, and treated us badly. T-then he saved us. He came down out of nowhere and killed the soldiers. And... and you still didn't wake up, even when we were brought here..." Ryou finished, more tears filling his eyes. "I was so worried I thought you were going to die! Why did you let yourself starve, Bakura? Why did you give all your food to me?"

Bakura scoffed and weakly shoved Ryou away. "It's because your so damn weak. Maybe if you stopped crying and manned up for once, I wouldn't have to feed you."

Suddenly, his brother wavered. His legs crumpled under him and he fumbled to the stone floor with a string of feeble curses. Ryou cried out and knelt near his body. "Bakura?!"

He got grumbled in response. "My body is almost as weak as yours..." He looked up at the man, who had remained quiet through all this.

"You have a lot of food. Give me some."

The man's eye twitched. Ryou squeaked when he threw his arm down and forced Bakura to his feet by grabbing one boney arm. He raised him into the air, his face twisted in rage.

"Listen, _boy. _I don't take orders from anybody. Especially insolent _brats_. In fact, now that you're awake, you can take your leave." He then threw Bakura carelessly to the floor, his eyes dark with malice.

Bakura gave a few coughs and shot their host a vicious glare.

"I don't want to stay in this dump anyway."

But the process of actually getting up was something that Bakura simply could no achieve in his state. Each time Ryou reached to help him, he got smacked and shoved. It took several minutes for him to even get up, and once he was up, he could only succeed in walking a few more feet.

Watching his older twin go through this was too much for young Ryou to bare. His body quivered with emotion as he turned towards their host, who was back in his corner, watching the whole scene with cold, hooded eyes. Ryou couldn't handle this. The thought of going back out there so soon, the threat of being captured again hanging over his head constantly, the possibility of starving to death, of losing his brother to the harsh elements, it was _too much. _He broke as he closed his hands into fists, tears prickling his eyes once more.

"Please,_ E__fendim,_ don't cast us out," Ryou pleaded weakly, "We... we can't survive out there. We've barely been able to in the weeks since we started looking after ourselves. We barely eat, we sleep in the cold, we're always tired and hungry and thirsty and nobody cares! Nobody _cares_! T-they just look at us like we're diseased. Like we don't matter. Like it doesn't matter that we're on our own because our parents –"

" – Shut your_ mouth _Ryou!"

" – because our parents were killed. And our sister. We'll never seen them again. We'll never see our home again, or our farm," He had begun to weep, his voice wavering with anguish. "P-please let us stay. At least until Bakura can walk! He can't even make it out of this chamber, how do you expect us to survive out in the world?! The c-cruel world..." the boy broke down, tears and mucus smearing all over his face.

By now, Bakura had struggled to his feet. He launched his weakened body at Ryou. He was snarling as he grabbed roughly onto his brother's tunic, "You idiot! We do NOT beg! I told you we will never beg!"

"B-but –"

" – No! Shut up! You've spoken _enough_!" He grabbed roughly onto his brother's arm and attempted to drag him to the exit. Despite his weakened body, he still had a vice grip.

"Bakura, we can't survive out there!" He managed to snatch his arm away and wail, "We're just kids! Orphans, now! We can't exist in this world without help!"

"We don't need help. I can take care of us just fine."

"_We almost gotten taken away_! By the same bad men that killed _Abbi_ and_ Mut_ and Amane!"

Bakura quieted for a moment and looked away, his features dark. "I won't let that happen."

"You can't be sure of that. Look at you! You can barely stand!"

"I'm_ fine_–"

"–_Don't_ give me that!" He yelled as he grabbed and shook his brother's shoulders. "Bakura, what if you die? D-don't... don't leave me alone."

Instead of shoving his hands off his shoulders like Bakura had a tendency to do, he took them within his own and carefully removed them. He weakly glared down at the ground as he said, "I won't die."

"...Y-you don't know that..."

"If I was meant to die so young, I would have been killed with the others."

Ryou shook his head in despair. "P-please..." He wrapped his arms around his brother and buried his face into his shoulder. "Please..."

"...I told you not to beg." Bakura murmured as he reached up to give his brother a few shoulder pats. "It makes you look pathetic."

Ryou sniffled and smiled a little. Bakura looked up at the man, who had been watching them the whole time.

"If it's... okay with you," He began begrudgingly, a scowl gracing his features, "Then we will stay until I can take more than three steps without falling on my ass."

The man said nothing. Instead, he slowly walked over to a basket, pulled out a piece of jerky and chucked it at Bakura, ignoring the startled curse that escaped the boy as it smacked him in the face.

"Don't eat all my food."

He then swept past them and disappeared out the door, leaving them alone in the chamber.

…

_"If you stay here, I expect you to work."_

This is what their nameless host had told Ryou. The boy had nodded fervently; he wanted to show his appreciation to the man for letting them stay until Bakura was back on his feet.

The man had assigned him to a job he was already familiar with; to take care of his horse, _Ma'at _[1]. It was a massive _beast_ that towered over the boy of small stature. This horse, unlike his father's frail, chestnut one, was a massive riding horse. The beast's hooves were practically the size of his head. His muscles, like his wayward owner, were taut and rippled under his thin, black coat each time it moved.

Ryou was intimidated, but he was confident in his abilities to deal with this horse. His family's goat had been a feisty thing; it never let anybody near it without making a move to clamp down on their clothing. Ryou was the only one it seemed to tolerate. They even had become friends of sorts.

When the boy had first approached _Ma'at_, it regarded with with intense, beady eyes. Ryou had felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he eased over to the trough, a bundle of hay within his arms. When he came close, the horse suddenly whinnied and swarmed forward. Ryou had squeaked – a pathetic noise, even coming from him – and scrambled away, dropping the hay. He felt lucky the horse was tethered to a pillar that kept it from moving any further.

He thought he had heard laughter while he stood a safe distance away, his chest heaving.

The hardest part of tending to the horse wasn't shoveling feces, but rather getting water. He had to lug buckets to and from the nearby water source, which was a difficult task for a boy as small as he. His delicate arms weren't anything more than beanpoles, causing the task to be incredibly difficult for his weak body. Especially under the hot, Egyptian sun.

His brother didn't like the fact that their host made Ryou tend to his horse.

"Lazy ass," Bakura had growled, his arms crossed over his lithe chest. Ryou had simply sighed and shook his head; he didn't mind working to keep their place here while his brother recovered. In fact, if anybody was a "lazy ass", it was Bakura.

Their host had spoken only a few times, and each time he did it was a warning.

_"Do not eat all of the food. Especially the meat."_

Bakura had single-handedly went through most of the baskets.

_"Do not drink all of the water. If you do. I am _not _refilling the jug."_

Bakura went through almost the whole jug in one day, forcing Ryou to go out and make a grueling water trip.

_ "And do not go snooping through my things."_

And, of _course _Bakura couldn't even follow that rule. Despite his weak body, he had still gotten out of bed just to look through their host's treasures, much to Ryou's chagrin. He tried to scold his brother for it, but nothing good ever came from doing that.

He was worried their host would get angry for what Bakura did, but he seemingly didn't notice, or didn't care. In fact, Ryou saw very little of the man. He was gone all night and day. Whenever he came back, it was usually at noon. He would kick back in a chair and close his eyes for a nap. However, the man was so stiff with his crossed arms and furrowed brows that Ryou didn't think he actually ever went to sleep during these rest periods.

Ryou found that the man wasn't so bad for a murderer. In fact, he saw his brother in many of the elder's mannerisms; the way he messily ate, the way he slept without relaxing, and the way he spent a majority of his time brooding with a stoic expression. It was actually somewhat amusing, especially when Bakura spoke about how much he hated their host. The two were practically mirrored, though in the end, Ryou decided to keep this to himself. He was sure that if he shared his opinion, he would get smacked.

When the man wasn't out or napping, he was eating. He ate a lot, and the amount of food he had was seemingly endless. Since it was the beginning of the harvest season, he would would bring baskets brimmed to the top with a variety of fresh food such as onions, garlic radishes and beans. He would also bring vegetables and fruits, though in smaller quantities since most of them couldn't be kept for long periods of time.

…

Ryou thought he was dreaming when, one day, he saw his host's hair. His eyes widened the size of plates when the man removed his head-dress, revealing hair that was so similar to him and brother's. It was long, wild, and white as a bone.

The man had noticed his staring, snorted, and said mockingly, "It isn't polite to stare."

Even if it was said jokingly, Ryou had taken it to heart and looked away. He supposed he shouldn't make a big deal of it; his whole family had white hair, after all. It wasn't an oddity to him, simply something that made him and his family unique.

"Is that why you wear a head-dress?" Ryou asked curiously, remembering how his father had told him to wear a wig to hide his hair if he were to ever go to town.

The man didn't answer.

…

One afternoon, when Ryou was done with his chores and sat alongside his brother's sleeping form (Bakura slept quite often these days), the man had come back with grapes. Ryou, loving fruits – especially sweet fruits – practically salivated, but he resisted. Since his brother did most of the eating, he had to keep himself from eating quite often.

The man had set the basket down and pulled out a whole garlic clove. He threw himself on a cushioned mat and viciously dug his teeth into it. Ryou couldn't help but watch. It was certainly strange to eat an entire garlic clove in a single bite... but, their host was a strange man he supposed.

He had glanced up and met Ryou's gaze, to which Ryou jumped and guiltily looked away. He looked ashamed for getting caught blatantly starting. The man frowned, a piece of garlic flecking his lip. He then raised his finger and signaled for Ryou to go over to him. After some hesitation, Ryou swallowed nervously and slipped off the bed and meandered over. He played with his hands as he stopped a comfortable distance away.

"Sit."

Ryou did as he was told. Being so close to a murderer made him uneasy, even if this murderer had shown some sort of hospitality to the two orphans.

The man continued to chew, staring at Ryou with careless eyes. He dug into the basket and pulled out another clove, which he offered to the boy.

Not wanting to be rude, he took it and began to slowly peel the top layer off. The man watched his every move, his eyes not moving from his lithe form. It made Ryou uneasy and self-conscious, causing him to peel even faster, his fingers fumbling. He tore a piece from the glove, and put it in his mouth. His eyes began to water as he chewed the heavily flavored root.

Noticing the boy's discomfort to the food, the man let out a small cackle.

"Don't like garlic?" He asked as he popped another clove into his mouth, his breath wafting over to meet Ryou's nose. It threatened to curl.

"U-uh... I do, I just don't eat it plain..."

"I figured you wanted it, since you were staring so ravenously at my basket."

Ryou didn't want to say he had been looking at the grapes, though his eyes flickered to the bunch that hung over the woven edge of the basket.

The man noticed this and reached into the basket, taking out a bunch of grapes. He held it up, "This what you want, kid?"

After a long hesitation, he nodded shakily. The man tossed the bundle to Ryou, who barely managed to catch it. He plucked a grape off the bunch and tossed it into his mouth. He could have moaned as he broke the grape with his teeth, sweet flavors exploding into his mouth, overcoming the over-bearing taste of garlic.

Forgetting about the partially-eaten clove, he began popping the grapes into his mouth fervently, moans of approval threatening to spill over his mouth along with flavorful juices. Ryou loved fruits – anything sweet, really – and it had been too long since he had any; such things were an unseen luxury when you were living on the streets. As he sat there with his grapes, he concluded that maybe this murderer couldn't possibly be too untrustworthy.

…

Ryou began to notice their host had grown restless. Instead of resting on his mat, he would pace about the small room, muttering to himself. Ryou would watch him move impatiently to and fro, eventually growing dizzy from his repetitive movements. The polite side of him wanted to ask what was the matter, but he restrained himself and instead contented himself in simply watching.

The sudden anxiety the man brought began to affect Ma'at_,_ Ryou noticed. Over the course of his stay, the horse had grown used to the boy's presence, and just as Ryou predicted, the horse began to warm up to him.

Ma'at was noticeably uneasy and paced shallow trenches in the sand. The boy shushed him gently as he ran the ragged brush over the beast's hair, earning a slight snort.

"Come on! You loved to be brushed!"

The horse flared its nostrils and repeated the noise. He shook his neck, fluffing out his freshly brushed mane. Ryou stood back and put his hands on his hips as he regarded the animal with exasperation.

"You're making this difficult," he chided to the animal as he put the brush down near the shovel and bucket. He had already cleaned the area of feces, brought water, and gave him food, though he had yet to eat it. Normally the horse would be done eating before he even finished shoveling (this was another similarity he had with his owner), so Ryou grew worried.

He then pondered if the horse would like a treat. He smiled warmly at the pacing animal before he headed back to the hole. He slipped down the stairwell and went began digging around in the baskets, managing to find some lettuce, along with a pot of sugar. He grabbed a small wooden plate before he returned the horse shortly.

Ryou first offered the lettuce, though the horse didn't seem very interested. He gave it a sniff, a snort, and turned away. Ryou scowled, "Come on, now. What about the sugar?" He took the top off the pot and poured a bit onto the plate before nudging it to the horse. Again, the beast seemed disinterested.

The boy gave a sigh of defeat, walked over to a nearby stone, flopped down and began eating the sugar himself. He had yet to eat today, so he eagerly snacked on the sweet substance.

Suddenly, the horse bucked and neighed, startling Ryou. His heart rate excelled as he set the plate and lettuce aside and jumped up, trying to figure out what had bothered the horse. The beast was as brave as his owner, so for something to startle him of course Ryou was worried. He fiddled with his tunic nervously, his eyes anxiously surveying the area for signs of danger.

Leaving the horse to its pacing, Ryou rushed back to the underground chamber, not wanting to risk a confrontation with whatever had spooked the beast. It could be anything from a pack of hyenas to a patrol of soldiers. Given his experience, he would pick hyenas over soldiers any day. He rushed down the stairs, nearly slipping on the cold stones in his haste.

Bakura was near one of the tables when Ryou sailed in. His brother looked irritated out his loud, clumsy entrance. He looked as if he were about to say something nasty, but he noticed Ryou's obvious distress and instead asked, "What happened?"

Ryou shook his head worriedly, not entirely sure himself. "The horse just began getting upset over something... I just got scared."

His brother, of course, scoffed and meandered back over to the bed and sat down. His brother looked noticeably better; he had eaten enough for some fat to return to his face and limbs. He was able to leave the chamber to relieve himself (before he had to use a broken pot, which Ryou to empty) and remain awake for most of the day, though he chose to spend the time eating and sleeping.

"What were you doing anyways?" Ryou asked, referring to when Bakura had been standing goalless in the middle of the room.

"None of your business."

Ryou narrowed his eyes when he heard a dingle come from beneath Bakura's tunic. "What was –"

"Nothing."

"But –"

A glare cut him off. Arguing with Bakura was always such a fruitless endeavor. He sighed and flopped back against the bed next to his brother.

"...You stink like horse shit."

…

It had been the middle of the night when their host burst into the chamber. Ryou hadn't been asleep for once; he was still anxious from the horse situation. He sat up, watching their host with curious eyes as he scrambled into the room.

"Wake your brother and get out of here," the man hissed as he pulled a bag off his person and began shoving his treasures into it.

Bakura was already rousing, though Ryou shook him anyway.

"_Efendim, _why do we need to leave?" Ryou squeaked, watching the man move about.

"It's dangerous to be here. Besides, your brother is well enough to move about on his own. You two should have left the second he was better."

Ryou was scared as he jumped off the bed. "Don't send us out there, yet!" He begged, his eyes wide with fright.

The man paid him no mind as he swept around the room, collecting his gems and jewels. Ryou clenched at his tunic, fidgeting in his spot as he struggled to find pleading words.

Bakura was awake now. He looked groggy as he looked around the room. "What's going on?" He grumbled.

"Nothing's going on. It's just time to leave."

His brother sensed the man's urgency and narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"

Bakura didn't get a reply, though his movements faltered. Chrome eyes smoldered as they darted around the table had had just cleared. He then looked up at Bakura.

Their cool gazes met. Bakura was the first to move; he smirked and began sauntering towards the exit. "Come Ryou, we're leaving."

Ryou whimpered and raced after his brother. "B-but we can't –"

Bakura sent him a glare laced with so much malice it forced him to stay his tongue. He lowered his head and followed his brother up the stairs and out into the open. It was night, so Ryou struggled to see as he weaved between the stones that hid the entrance.

_"There! I see someone moving!"_

Ryou's blood ran cold when he heard the distant shout. It reminded too much of what had happened not so long ago. He grabbed for the back of his brother's tunic and put his face into his back, his whole body quivering.

"Quit sniveling, Ryou!" Bakura hissed as he halted and crouched behind a rock. "They're going to hear us."

Ryou tried to force his down his hiccups and cries, his eyes beginning to go red with tears. They remained there for a few moments before Bakura gestured for them to move again.

_"Are you sure? I don't see anybody!"_

_ "Fool! It may be the Thief King. The likelihood you'll actually see him is incredibly low."_

"'_Thief King_'. I wonder if they're referring to that bastard," Bakura muttered as he guided Ryou through the ruins.

Ryou peered out and saw the patrol of soldiers not too far away. Their cruel faces and massive war horses made him frightened. Another whimper threatened to escape him, though he managed to hold it in.

One of them glanced towards him. He gasped and lowered his head, though he wasn't fast enough.

_"There! Over there!"_

"Idiot!" Bakura snarled as he grabbed Ryou's arm and dragged him out into the open. They raced through the sand in the direction of the city, though the clambering of horse hooves told him that running was a futile effort. Ryou whipped his head back to see the patrol practically on top of them. Swords flashing, eyes gleaming, the boy cried out and shut his eyes, fearing death was moments away.

There was a second, then a clang of sword on sword. He peeled his eyes open to see their host on Ma'at blocking the soldiers from getting to them. He had a sword raised, and one of the soldiers laid in the sand, a puddle of blood forming around him. The other soldiers were holding their whinnying horses back, their swords posed for attack.

"Get on! Now!"

The command gave no room for argument as Ryou raced forward clambered onto the horse. It was an effort, especially with his trembling fingers, but he eventually managed. Bakura jumped onto the horse behind him in a swift motion, and they were off.

Ryou secured his arms around the man's waist and buried his face into the back of his crimson robe. He didn't want to watch what was happening, though he still heard it. The patrol of horses were following them. The man spat vicious insults as he spurred his horse to go faster. Bakura was clinging to him, ordering their savior to go faster.

"They're catching up to us! Make this damn animal to go faster!"

"Shut your bratty mouth before I push you off and leave you to be trampled."

"We're all going to be trampled if you don't get a move on!"

"I will _not _be ordered around by a little kid, so stay your tongue."

"I'm _not _a little kid!"

Their arguing only succeeded in stressing Ryou further, though he was also relieved to hear the clambering of the patrol was quieting, signaling that they were being outrun. He breathed easily and buried his face deeper into the robe, wanting to forget that they almost died for the third time in a matter of weeks.

Eventually, the two stopped arguing, and all was quiet except for the lulling beat of the horse's hooves hitting the sand.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites. I'll try and update this weekly. There will likely be 6-8 chapters.

_ (1) Ma'at is the God of justice. Just a random name I asked my friend for, so I'm not sure if it was used elsewhere. It's a good name, even if TK isn't religious._


	3. Chapter 3

"Efendim, where are we going?"

"It's not important."

Ryou sighed internally and meandered back to the rock where he had been sheltering.

The four of them – including Ma'at – had spent the whole night traveling. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement that, for now, the twins would be going with him. Ryou wished he knew his name, but he seemed reluctant to share that information, so he let it be.

They had found a small area to rest for the day. It wasn't too far from a farming village where the elder had disappeared to in the early hours of the morning. He had returned around noon with a whole collection of food, though he ate most of it. When Bakura demanded some, the man scoffed and instead gave a couple of onions to Ryou, who hadn't gave any inclination he wanted food.

He looked sheepish as Bakura threw a glare at his brother. Ryou didn't make eye contact as he rolled an onion to Bakura, who of course stubbornly declined it and went away to sulk. Ryou sighed and tucked into the sweet onion, enjoying the flavors that blanketed his pallet. After the scare form the previous night, his appetite was fervent.

As Bakura left, he heard him mutter, "Damned_ itja(1)_," causing Ryou glare in his direction. It was an incredibly rude insult to somebody that had saved their life. Though he would find that over the course of their travels, _itja_ eventually became a common title for their savior.

When the man finished his meal, he retreated to a separate rock and leaned against it. In that moment, the man looked incredibly careless. His head was leaned against his intertwined arms and his eyes were sealed shut. Ryou glanced over to see his brother resting on the ground in the shade of a different rock, his back to both of them.

The sun beat overhead, making him feel faint. He crawled over to his brother and curled up in the shade next to him, thankful for the slight degree change. His brother always begrudgingly let Ryou cuddle up to him, which he deeply appreciated. He enjoyed touching people; he always felt safe, even if the contact was brief. It reminded him of the hugs he would receive from _mut._

The rest of the afternoon consisted of all four of them resting. As soon as it was dusk, they began traveling once more. He was thankfulMa'at was a hefty horse that could hold three bodies (even if two of them were very small and light). There was nothing but sand as far as he could see; it grew to be a very boring sight as Ryou stared absently.

Bakura seemed just as bored, but he stayed his tongue and didn't make a brash comment like he was prone to do.

Days past, and they kept up this drab routine. Few words were swapped between any of them, the most being the occasional argument or Ryou begging Bakura to play a game (he was usually denied).

"You always played games with me before!" Ryou had whined.

"Yeah well, back then our family wasn't dead and we weren't traveling through a desert with a bastard."

Ryou had lowered his head and stopped asking after that. He then turned his attention to Ma'at. Though their host hadn't told Ryou to keep up his care of the horse, he still did. He did his best to brush the beast with his curled fingers, and he guided the horse away from their temporary camp sites to relieve itself.

He found comfort in talking with Ma'at, though he normally got blank stares and occasional snorts in response. He was sure his brother thought he was crazy for it, but it brought him relief. And during such times, Ryou could use any relief from the lingering heartache and trauma that nested in his chest cavity.

…

When a city appeared on the horizon, both twins were happy, though Bakura wasn't as vocal about it as Ryou; he showed his excitement through a slight lighting of the eyes and eager prick of the head. Ryou was tempted to jump off the horse and run the rest of the way; if he had to continue sitting on that jostling horse any longer, he was sure his rear was going to be numb forever.

The last leg of through journey seemed to be the longest; dawn seemed to take forever to arrive. As the beginning of the sun rose on the horizon, the man had walked Ma'at into the city. Before they entered however, the man tossed a couple of headdresses to Ryou and his brother, similar to the one he wore.

"Put them on. Without complaint."

He added the latter statement because Bakura had furrowed his brows and opened his mouth in an attempt to argue. Ryou put the headdress on, effectively hiding his bleached locks. The piece of cloth wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as the wig Ryou had to wear before he lost it.

As they entered the city, people were starting to awaken by now. They milled around on their rooftops, or walked along the street, paying the newcomers no mind.

Ma'atcame to a halt. The man slid off of him, tied him to a post, and headed inside the building they stopped in front of. It was a pretty large, three level building. Ryou looked to Bakura hesitantly before following the elder inside, who was standing in front of a man and speaking in quick, hushed tones.

He turned to meet the two boys. "After today, you two won't accompanying me any longer."

Ryou's eyes widened and he squeaked, "What?! B-but efendim!_"_

He rose his hand to hush Ryou from speaking. His eyes were as cold and hard as chips of ice as he turned back to the stranger. He reached into his bag and fished out a glistening red gem, which he dropped into the stranger's hand.

"I expect this will pay for two rooms for a full day and night."

"O-of course! You may stay as long as you like!" The stranger said, eying his new treasure greedily. "_Em heset net Ra_."

Bakura snorted and mumbled something about not needing charity from a _itja_ before he grabbed Ryou's hand and dragged him over to the stairs. They headed up to the third level, where the entire floor had been separated into rooms.

His brother dragged him into the one at the end of the hall. The ceiling was low, and there was a tiny gap in the wall that served as a window. It was a measly room with a single, cushioned mat on the floor. There were a couple of scratchy looking blankets as well, which Bakura laid down on the mat before draping himself across it and rolling over to face the wall. Ryou sighed at his brother's behavior before he slipped onto the mat, leaning against his brother's form and closing his eyes.

His attempt to sleep was futile. Instead, he kept thinking of what would happen to him and his brother now that their savior and temporary caregiver (of sorts). Especially since they were, yet again, in a strange territory. He wasn't even sure what city they were in, and he was sure his brother didn't know either. How were they expected to take care of themselves?

Ryou yearned to share his fears with his brother, but he already knew that he wouldn't take his worries seriously. He would brush it off with a haughty comment and turn away.

He fidgeted with the strands of his hair underneath his headdress and decided he would take his chances. But then Bakura spoke, answering his unspoken worries.

"We don't need that damned _itja_."

Ryou frowned and looked towards his brother's form, which was still facing away. He bit his chapped lip and began to speak, "But..."

" – No buts! We don't need him. I don't want to hear anymore of your annoying begging or complaining either."

All went silent on Bakura's side of the mat, so Ryou decided not to speak any longer. He remained quiet as he laid there, and eventually he managed to fall into a light sleep.

…

Ryou was awakened by Bakura prodding at him. His eyes peeled open, and a yawn escaped him.

"...What is it?" He mumbled as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"We're leaving. Now." Bakura's icy eyes left no room for argument. Ryou nodded obediently and stood up.

"Remain silent." He warned as he stood as well and began stepping lightly over the cold floor. Ryou didn't understand why he had to be quiet, but like usual he followed directions without complaint and fell into step behind his brother.

Bakura moved slowly out of the room. Down the hall, and into the next one. A familiar man was laying across the mat, his arms crossed and his form rigid. Ryou would have thought he was awake if it wasn't for the deep rise and dip of his broad chest. His bag laid against the wall across from him.

Bakura signaled for Ryou to stay in the doorway before he inched in. The youth was confused until he saw his brother approach the bag. It was a tense moment, and Ryou sucked in a startled breathe as Bakura accidentally killed the smallest of pebbles. Both boys froze and stared at the sleeping man, though he didn't rouse form his slumber.

Without disturbing the sleeping man, he slipped a tiny hand into the opening of the bad and pulled out a small golden bangle, which he slid onto his wrist underneath the torn sleeve of his tunic.

The man seemingly stirred, and just like that, Bakura darted for the door, shoving Ryou to go. A panicked look behind him proved that the man was still sound asleep.

Bakura took him by the wrist and dragged him through the hall, down both stairs, and out the front door of the building. Outside, the afternoon sun was scorching. Bakura sent a panicked look right and left down the streets before he dragged Ryou into an alleyway.

He then burst out laughing, "I can't believe it was that easy!"

Ryou, still frightened of being caught, stared at his brother wide-eyed. "What?! Why did you steal from that man!"

"Tch. He was a thief, Ryou, an_ itja_. It doesn't matter if you steal from a thief."

"How do you know he's a thief?"

Ryou feigned to be ignorant, but he knew the truth. He knew no man with that many treasures would live like peasant. He would have massive palaces with servants and huge meals and a whole plethora of horses, not living underground. The man's wealth had to come from some kind of thieving, or he truly enjoyed living modestly... which was unlikely.

"Don't be stupid, Ryou!" Bakura growled, obviously unamused with Ryou's naivety.

"So... why did you steal from him?"

"He doesn't need that much gold and jewels!" Bakura hissed, crossing his arms, the bangle jingling underneath his sleeve. "He has enough of them."

From deep within the darkness of the alleyway, there was a deep cackle. It echoed throughout the narrow passage, making Ryou inch closer to Bakura, who was suddenly alert.

There was a flash of crimson before the man appeared behind Bakura, the familiar garnet-encrusted dagger pressed against his jugular, applying just enough pressure to cause the slightest trickle of blood to flow out from the wound. Ryou cried out, but he made no move to help his brother; there was nothing he could do.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me...?" The man asked, his voice as deeper and more threatening than Ryou was used to.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Bakura argued, though for the first time Ryou heard his voice waver fearfully. He was attempting to cringe away from the blade pressed against his neck.

There was another intimidating laugh. The man's free hand reached down to run along Bakura's sleeve where the bangle was hidden.

"Nobody steals from the _Thief King_," he growled into Bakura's ear. "Especially not a brat of a child."

"Let me go!" Bakura snarled, though he made no move to struggle.

"B-bakura! Give back what you took!" Ryou wailed, "It's not worth your life!"

But instead of taking Ryou's advice, Bakura suddenly threw his head back, bashing it against the man's broad chest, taking him by surprise. He then whipped around on his toes and threw his fist right at the man's jaw. Of course his fist was met easily with an outstretched palm, and within a matter of seconds, the elder had Bakura pinned on the ground, the dagger against his throat once again.

Ryou was frozen in place, "B-bakura!" He cried out, trying desperately to move forward, but instead just sliding to the ground in desperation. "P-please don't kill h-him!"

"You steal from me, then you try to lay your grubby fingers on me," The man was snarling at the boy, shoving him into the dust. "I don't tolerate that kind of behavior from anybody."

Bakura grunted and wriggled, unable to speak due to his face planted in the ground. Even in the face of death he remained defiant, his body struggling against the far stronger being.

"P-please! He didn't mean any disrespect!" Ryou pleaded, his tears straining the dirt. "Don't kill him! Please don't kill him! P-p-please..." he trailed away into a mess of sobs as he stared up at the man, his eyes wide and blurry.

The man didn't move, which made Ryou cry harder. He wasn't getting through to him...

Ryou scrambled a little closer, remaining on his hands and knees. "P-please... he's all I have left. Don't take him away from me..."

He continued to cry and weep, desperately hoping to get through to this man. He had managed to once, perhaps he could again. Perhaps if he begged enough... if he could get through to this man's heart, then he would release his (_stupid, stupid_) brother and let them go.

There was a scuffle, followed by a cough. Ryou peered up at them, seeing that the man had lifted his blade away from Bakura and was to his feet. Bakura was still on the ground, coughing harshly and trying to catch his breath. The man reached down and plucked up up by the collar of the tunic, reached up his sleeve, and retrieved his bangle.

Much to Ryou's shock, the man slid a hand down under his collar and pulled a necklace off of him as well before he discarded the boy to the ground, not batting a second glance as Ryou scrambled forward an grabbed his brother, giving his shoulders a shake.

"B-bakura! Are you okay?"

Bakura ceased coughing and held his neck before he glared up at Ryou. "What were you thinking!" He snarled, "Begging like a coward!"

Ryou winced, then cried indignantly, "I was trying to help! A-and it worked; you're alive!"

Bakura scoffed and looked away, swatting Ryou's hand away when he tried to check the neck wound. The man gazed down at them with a scrutinizing gaze, which made the hairs on the back of Ryou's neck prickle with unease. He didn't like that intense, chrome gaze that the two of them were getting, so he shuffled closer to Bakura and murmured quietly "T-thank you for sparing him, efendim."

The man continued to stare, giving no sign that he had heard Ryou.

"Your footing was sloppy."

The twins were quiet. Bakura glared up, though his gaze hinted confusion as well.

"Your footing was sloppy. A half-deaf elder from across the city could have heard you." The man said, crossing his arm. "Your body was too stiff, you didn't distribute your weight evenly, you didn't control your breathing. It was a pathetic display, really. The only thing you did somewhat correctly was that you kept a good eye on your surroundings, but even then, you tripped over a pebble."

While the man had spoken, Bakura had slowly risen to his feet, staring up at him, listening to every word intently. Ryou continued to cling to his brother, his fists knotted in his sleeve.

"Even if you stealing this gold bangle was a pathetic display, you did have the guts to steal from me. Had you properly controlled your breathing, I might have not woken so quickly." The man smirked and said, "You make a pitiful thief."

Bakura's eyes blazed and he puffed out his chest. "I am a good thief!" He hissed, "I took care of both my brother and I by stealing."

"What?" The man asked dangerously, cocking his head to one side. "You think taking a couple pieces of rotten fruit from a market vendor is being a thief? It makes you a street rat." His voice rise, "You're no thief."

"I am!" Bakura clenched his fists, glaring daggers at the man who had just threatened his life.

Ryou tugged at Bakura's sleeve, trying to warn him against angering the man further, but it was too late.

"You are not a thief. _I_ am a thief. I am the _King of Thieves_." He stated, uncrossing his arms and holding them out from his sides, making his form look far larger. "I have stolen gold and silver from the tombs of nobles. I have stolen gems from the very pockets of the rich. I have stolen entire banquets from the most glorious and wealthy palaces!" He then gave Bakura a rough poke in the chest. "You are not a thief. You are a street rat. Nothing more than a begging orphan."

Bakura snarled and slapped his hand away. "I am no beggar, nor a rat! I could be a better thief than you!"

Ryou shook from their argument. He was deathly frightened that this man would slash them both in the throat with his dagger and meander away like nothing happened.

However, instead, there was a loud, ringing laughter that came from deep within the man's chest. He glared wildly down at Bakura, "_You_?! You think you could be a better thief than the_ Thief King_?"

Bakura, looking as determined as ever, nodded furiously. "I will be! I'll – I'll steal the Pharaoh himself! And keep him prisoner!"

The man continued to laugh, though Bakura looked very serious in his resolve.

"You think you could steal the_ Pharaoh_? Do you understand what you just said, boy?" The man looked almost insane as he crouched in front of him, his eyes blazing. "Pharaoh Atem comes from a ruthless line. He has a full army of thousands of men ready to die for him, and you, a little brat whose nothing but skin and bone, will take him prisoner?"

"That's what I said! I'll take him prisoner!"

"You would die before you could even make the journey to Thebes."

"No!"

"You would die before even making it out of this city."

Bakura bristled further, looking absolutely enraged at the way he was being talked down to. He stopped his feet stubbornly into the dust. "_No_! I will do it! I will take the Pharaoh prisoner and... and _kill _him!" He spat.

Ryou paled at his threat and looked around before he quickly whispered in his ear, "Bakura, no! Don't say things like that!"

The _Thief King _even looked a little surprised to hear this, though he didn't look displeased. "Kill him? Now why would you kill somebody as _almighty and wise _as the Pharaoh, a man chosen by the Gods themselves to rule over the entirety of Egypt?"

Bakura shook, "I'm not stupid! I know those were the Pharaoh's men who killed... _them. _For no reason! What kind of Pharaoh allows the death of innocents?! He let my little sister die! She was only six! What excuse could justify that?"

This was the first Ryou had been hearing of any hate directed towards the Pharaoh from his brother. Although, now that Ryou had a moment to reflect, his brother had become far more bitter... could it be that his brother had been harboring this burning hatred ever since the night they had lost their family?

Ryou had never considered this. He would have never thought Pharaoh Atem to be responsible for the death of their family...

"B-bakura...?' Ryou whispered, his voice coming out as a quiet croak, though it went ignored.

"I hate him! I hate the Pharaoh!" Bakura snarled, stopping a foot like the child he was. "He let my family die for absolutely no reason! He killed my mother, my father, and even my kid sister! What wrongs could a young girl cause?!" He was practically frothing from the mouth due to the malice in his tone. "His men would have killed Ryou and I too if I hadn't gotten us out of there."

The man seemed to consider this, his face serious. "It's high treason to speak against the Pharaoh, boy." The thief warned, his eyes narrowing, the scar making the expression look more threatening. "You would be publicly executed on the spot."

Bakura clenched his fists tighter and looked down, his eyes smoldering. "I know that; I'm not a fool. That's why I haven't said anything about it up until now. Not even to Ryou."

All was quiet except for the dulled noises of the nearby market and Bakura's heavy breathing. Ryou was dumbstruck at Bakura's outburst, his fists loosening from his sleeve. He couldn't believe what he had just heard...

Before he could speak, the man rose to full height.

"Come with me. We're going to attract too much attention if we remain out here any longer." The man then turned and disappeared down the alley. They entered the inn through the back door and retreated back to their room.

"We leave at dusk." He said as he slid back down onto the mat flippantly, as if nothing happened.

"W-we?" Ryou questioned, fiddling with the bottom of his tunic. Was this man letting the two of them travel with him? The man didn't answer, so Bakura spoke up, his voice firm.

"I want to know your name."

Again, the man didn't answer, so Bakura bristled and rose his voice. "I want to know your name! You know ours, it's only fair we know yours."

The _Thief King _turned away, letting out the smallest of scoffs. "I do not have a name, boy."

Bakura looked taken back. Ryou felt surprised; everybody had a name. How could somebody not?

His brother then smirked in a mischievous manner.

"Fine. I'll just call you _Itja."_

_..._

The night, unfortunately for Ryou's sore legs, began with walking.

"What about Ma'at?" Ryou asked quietly, only to be cut off by a _shhhh_!

"He'll attract too much attention. I'll return later for him."

Itja guided them away from the inn at dusk, and since then, the three of them had been walking through the dark streets. It was exhausting because, unlike the grand nothingness of the desert, here there were guards.

"Stay silent. If you have something to say, whisper it," he warned them as they slipped out into the streets. Most folk had gone to bed by now, or were in their huts eating supper. Ryou's stomach growled at the thought of food – they hadn't eaten since before they got into the city.

"Control your stomach," Bakura demanded under his breath. "We'll eat soon."

He clenched his belly and thought, _I can't control when it's hungry. _He kept the thought to himself and merely nodded, not wanting to irritate his brother at the moment. He had been on edge since his fight with Itja earlier that day, so Ryou went out of his way to make sure he didn't enrage him further.

The twins followed Itja through the streets, avoiding guards every so often. Itja was very adamant about not confronting them whatsoever, and Ryou had to wonder why. Surely he wasn't so well known as a thief that they would recognize him on sight? Perhaps it was merely a precaution?

_Well, he did title himself the King of Thieves, _Ryou reasoned. That title wasn't put upon him lightly, he supposed. It was probably best for them to go unseen by guards anyway; after what happened to he and his brother, he wasn't so sure they were around to keep people safe...

Itja lead them down another alleyway and stopped, peering around the edge. He made a scoffing sound and looked to them. "We'll have to take to the roofs."

Ryou didn't like the sound of that; going on people's roofs would be trespassing. But before he could speak against it, Itja suddenly turned and began climbing up the wall, easily using ledges and footholds to make it to the top. Both twins gaped at his feline-like skills, though Bakura followed quickly. It took a few tries, but his brother managed to climb the wall. Both males peered over the edge.

"Come on, boy. Time's wasting."

Ryou shivered at Itja's warning; suddenly, he felt afraid. He reached a soft palm out and put it to the side of the house, the stone cool against his skin. He then gripped the small ledge and pulled himself up with all his might, using his feet to push himself off the ground. As he rose, he swung a hand up to grab another hold, his skin scrapping against the rough stone. He pressed his pair feet to the wall and scrambled upwards, desperately trying not to fall.

Once he made it to the roof, he was a panting mess, and both males looked irritated he had taken so long.

Itja was suddenly racing away, leaving the brothers to follow.

"Come on," Bakura snapped before he began following at a quick pace. Ryou sighed, heaved upwards, and trailed after his brother.

Many of the buildings were connected, so racing over them was a fairly easy task, but sometimes they would have to jump gaps, which scared Ryou. Even if they were only a few feet wide, and the ground only ten feet below, he still felt frozen in fear. It took a lot of angry coaxing from Bakura to get him to jump the first gap. He sprung forward and landed clumsily onto the other side.

"How long do we have to do this...?" Ryou asked quietly, standing up and rubbing at a scrap on his elbow from his rough landing.

He was ignored by both his brother and Itja, causing him to sigh and trail after them. They traversed the roofs for only a little longer before Itja guided them down a ladder, back to the ground. He carefully peered around them, making sure the coast was clear before he slipped out onto the street. Ryou noticed that they had been heading towards the outskirts of the city, where there were less guards. They could travel somewhat more safely as Itja continued guiding them away from civilization, towards the desert.

Ryou was exhausted, and the prospect of traversing across the desert for days again wasn't appealing. He knew by now that most questions and complaints went unanswered, so he remained quiet and grabbed his brother's hand for comfort, who, as usual, accepted it begrudgingly.

Ryou's mind began to blank as he walked, his feet sluggishly shuffling through the dust. He began moving on autopilot, not bothering with using the mental capacity to pay attention to where he was walking. The pace they were going at became numbing. He only stopped when he bumped into Bakura's still body.

Itja had stopped as well and Ryou saw why. He hadn't noticed that they had been heading towards a fairly large stone building, which looked to be an entrance to a tomb. Itja wasted no time pressing on, heading towards the building. It wasn't very impressive, so Ryou figured it was simply for a noble.

It was an old tomb that had been long since abandoned and likely broken into, which made Ryou sick. He used to hear tales from his father about how men would raid tombs to steal the dead's treasures, which was the ultimate disrespect.

"Stay here," Itja commanded before he slipped forward to the entrance of the tomb, disappearing into the shadows. Ryou crouched in the sand.

"What do you think he's doing?" Ryou asked frightfully. "Is he paying respects to family?"

Bakura made a scoffing sound, "Doubt it."

He didn't provide insight or opinion, so Ryou continued to sit, resting his aching limbs. Eventually Itja returned, his body draped in dust and cobwebs.

"Come on. There are no guards or thieves inside."

Ryou got up and followed Itja into the tomb with great trepidation. The man had lit a torch, guiding their way through the darkness. Ryou peered around the walls, seeing etchings of drawings and hieroglyphs strewn across the stone. He had always heard that the process of making a tomb was careful and precise work, but the pictures were _incredible! _

Ryou wished he could read better, so he could understand the writing on the walls.

Eventually the hall opened out into a room. Ryou gasped; it was entirely in shambles. Elaborately painted pots and jugs had been broken, carefully woven baskets had been smashed. Ryou knew this was the room where offerings for the dead had been left, but there was nothing to offer except for discarded remains...

"What happened here...?" Ryou gaped, peering up at Itja for answers.

"Inexperienced tomb robbers," Itja's voice came out as a scornful scoff as he dropped his bag onto the ground and began lighting the scones hanging from the walls.

Ryou felt sick as he looked around the room. Disrespecting the dead was an awful crime, completely taboo. He could hardly believe somebody would do such a thing... he thought they were of only tales.

As he continued to look, he found that there were a couple of hallways veering off from the main room, presumably leading to the rooms for the sarcophagus. He decided not to find out; he had no interest in seeing what kinds of things the "tomb robbers" had done to disrespect the dead further.

"You two start cleaning up this damn mess," Itja commanded once all the torches were lit.

Bakura bristled and turned to him, "Why us?!"

"Do it, or I won't bring you anything to eat."

Those were his parting words as he left the brothers alone. Bakura scoffed and cursed after him, while Ryou sighed and got to work. He didn't mind cleaning; he figured he was doing the dead a favor by cleaning up the mess. He managed to find a rotting basket that was otherwise unharmed and began filling it with shards of clay and stone.

Bakura, of course, just stormed over and sat against the wall, not even lifting a finger to help Ryou clean. Despite his aching body, Ryou diligently worked to clean the room, though he wasn't entirely sure why he had to. Perhaps this was Itja's family grave, and he wanted it to be clean?

But if that was the case, why wasn't Itja doing it himself?

He sighed to himself. Most of his questions went unanswered by his two companions, so he didn't bother asking, he just silently cleaned until most of the shards and bit of basket had been put in a pile in the corner. With an exhausted sigh, he plopped down next to his brother.

"...You shouldn't let him order you around."

"What?"

"That bastard. Itja." Bakura barked, turning his garnet gaze to Ryou. "You shouldn't let him order you around like that. It isn't your job to clean this place, and he's in no damn position to be making commands."

"He's older, Bakura."

"So?! That means nothing! The man could be a hundred years old and he would still be a bastard. And I certainly wouldn't let him order me around, even then."

"You should treat your elders with respect. That's what Mut taught us –"

" – shut your mouth!" Bakura snarled, cutting Ryou off with the sudden vicious tone. "Don't bring her up anymore, Ryou. It doesn't matter what she taught us. She isn't here to regulate what we say, what we do."

Ryou looked crestfallen. He wanted to argue, but at the mention of her being deceased, he deflated and brought his knees to his chest, and buried his face in them. A silence drifted over the abandoned tomb, and eventually he fell into a very shallow slumber, slipping in and out of consciousness every so often.

He roused when Itja returned and tossed something at them. Ryou barely had time to catch what it was – cooked meat. Not just jerky, but a slab of meat! The scent made his stomach growl.

"Thank you!" He said as he dug his teeth into the slab, enjoying the salty flavors that coated his tongue. He glanced over to see Bakura digging into his own meat. Neither of them showed any signs of manners as they devoured the food within moments.

"So. Did you rob this tomb?"

Ryou choked at Bakura's question. He turned to look at him, abashed he would ask such a bold and rude thing to the man who had just given them a meal – a meal of meat.

Itja looked offended, but he scoffed and said, "Do you think I would be this sloppy?"

It was Itja's turn to get a startled stare from Ryou. As the boy stared at the man, gears clicked in his head and he suddenly asked, "Are you a tomb robber?"

He immediately regretted the question, but Itja didn't seem bothered. His lips twitched upwards in a smirk, and he stared at Ryou.

"Did you just now figure that out, boy?"

Ashamed, Ryou looked down at the floor. Had he been missing obvious signs? Was he really so ignorant that he couldn't notice an obvious tomb robber?

"He's not the brightest grape in the bunch," Bakura scoffed under his breath, licking the leftover flavor from his fingers.

"I-I didn't think tomb robbers were actually real."

Bakura looked to him scornfully. "You're far too naïve, Ryou."

Itja cackled, the sound resonating through the tomb. "Of course they're real, boy! We aren't just some myth that mothers use to scare their children. No, we exist, though there are few of us that actually get away with it."

"B-but it's wrong! It's disrespectful to the dead..."

Itja snarled, suddenly angry. "The dead are dead. They don't need food or jewels or clothes or gold. It's a waste of time and resources."

"They need those things in the a-afterlife!" Ryou squeaked, trying to summon the girth to speak his opinion.

"The dead do not need those things," Itja said dryly. "It's a waste. They could be used on the living, but no, ignorant people are so wrapped up in lies fabricated by the Pharaoh that they would willingly give up their last remaining scraps of food and treasure, just to be buried and never used again."

Ryou couldn't believe what he was hearing. Such an opinion was treachery. This man would be executed on the spot if he shared these thoughts in public. He might have lived isolated with only his family, but his father always shared what was right and what was wrong, and disrespecting the dead was _definitely_ wrong, as was stealing.

...Itja had done both.

What had he and his brother gotten into?

…

The two brothers weren't given another meal. The hours ticked into a full day, then two, and Ryou's stomach was about to cave in. When Itja arrived back at the tomb in the early hours of the morning at the start of the third day, Bakura practically jumped him as he demanded, "We're hungry."

The elder threw him a flippant look before bypassing him and flopping down on the mat. "Then go get some food. I'm not keeping you prisoner."

Bakura bristled but huffed a "fine", grabbed Ryou by the hand and dragged him from the flickering darkness. Since they had arrived at the tomb, neither of them really leaved, so the sunrise was harsh on his sensitive eyes. Bakura didn't give him to to adjust as he released his arm and stormed in the direction of the city. Ryou rushed on clumsy feet to catch up with him.

"Where are we going?"

"The market." Bakura's answer was terse, making Ryou frown.

"Are you going to steal?"

"How _else_ are we going to get something to eat?" His brother scoffed, "Since the bastard doesn't seem bothered to give us his food."

Ryou looked down and mumbled, "He has no obligation to feed us."

"We don't need his help anyway."

Ryou decided not to say that they really did, that they didn't know how to survive on the streets, but he remained quiet. The two trekked through the desert, making it to the city within an hour. There was a large market heading into the city, where merchants had their tables set up already.

Bakura guided Ryou to a pile of crates, where both of them hid. Bakura surveyed the vast market, his eyes searching the best stand to rob.

"We could grab some pomegranates from that table," Bakura offered as he pointed towards a vendor. Ryou followed his finger, gazing at the intimidating merchant.

"The man looks scary," Ryou fretted, remembering what happened the last time they tried to steal from a merchant.

"Stop being such a girl." Bakura tsked, throwing his brother a glare. "We'll never get anything to eat if you complain."

"...Your brother has a point."

Both twins jumped and threw horrified gazes behind them. Itja crouched there, looking almost bored.

"Where did you come from?" Bakura barked, getting defensive; he had obviously been taken off guard.

Itja didn't answer him and instead continued with what he had begun to explain prior. "Your brother has a point. That merchant is intimidating and probably is violent. If you steal from him, he could have a blade on him, or give chase." His eyes swept fluidly over the market before he continued, "Look over there, that merchant is obviously overweight. He probably lives well, eats well, and doesn't care as much as the other."

Bakura scowled, hating being shown up. "But all he has is dried fruit!"

"Dried fruit is easier to smuggle away from the table without being noticed."

Bakura looked angry, but Ryou looked curious. "Efendim, why are you helping us?"

"So I don't have to feed you. You two aren't babies, you don't need to be coddled, your meals don't need to be put in front of your mouths." Itja told him, his voice harsh. "You need to learn to get your food on your own."

"We can do just fine on our own!" Bakura snapped before he was smacked on the shoulder.

"Don't be an idiot, boy. You have no idea what you're doing."

"Then you do it. You go and steal something!"

Itja scoffed and rose. "Stealing from a commoner market is like stealing sugar from a baby."

He slipped away into the ground. Despite his crimson cloak, his fluid movements made him melt into the swarm of people. Ryou watched with awe as he slipped by the table right as the merchant turned to answer a customer's question. He didn't even seem to move his hand out to grab anything as he slid away, soon returning to the two boys. From out of his cloak sleeve, he pulled out an entire handful of dried fruit.

"That was amazing!" Ryou praised, despite the fact that Itja had just broken the law.

"Anybody could do that," Bakura growled stubbornly, standing up to do just what Itja had done.

As the twin stormed off, the older man shook his head, popped a piece of dried fruit in his mouth. "That boy is going to get himself killed."

This comment of course scared Ryou to absolute bits. "If he gets in trouble, you'll save him right?" Ryou asked, tugging at Itja's long cloak.

"If the mood strikes me," He answered simply, slipping another piece of fruit into his mouth. Ryou let out a strangled whine and turned to see if he could spy his brother somewhere in the market.

After several gut-wrenching minutes, Bakura returned, a wide smirk on his face. "I told you I could do it!" He barked at Itja, holding up his spoils.

"Oh, _excuse me_," Itja scoffed. "I'm sure that single raisin will be enough to feed you and your brother."

Bakura threw the raisin to the ground and looked frustrated. "It's all I could get. The merchant kept looking over at me."

"Because you look like an obvious street rat ready to steal his next meal. You have to look like you belong."

"In case you didn't notice, _neither _of us look like we belong. Our skin is pale, our hair is white, it would be impossible _not _to draw attention."

Itja simply scoffed and shook his head. "You're a lost cause. With that attitude, you're going to starve within a week."

Ryou looked down at his feet, wishing he an his brother weren't so pale. It was the first time he had ever felt genuinely sorry for himself regarding his skin tone.

…

It was the next day when Itja came back with the tomb bearing new outfits for them. Plain robes with red and gold stitching. Bakura shed his dirty tunic that their father gave him and pulled on the robe. Ryou was more hesitant as he toyed with the hem of his own tunic; he didn't want to give up his last remaining connection to their father so quickly.

Eventually he did. He tucked the tunic neatly at the edge of his mat before he pulled the robe on. It hung loosely over his scrawny frame.

"Now you look like you belong to a wealthier family," Itja observed. "And those robes hide most of your white skin. You have no excuse, now."

And so they followed the older man to the markets. Ryou stayed close to Bakura side as they moved through the markets. As stubborn as his brother was, Ryou could tell he was taking Itja's advice. His eyes scanned each merchant and what they had to offer. Finally, he picked a more elderly vendor selling some fruits.

"Look like you belong," Bakura hissed at him. He nodded and tried to not look so ridiculously nervous as they walked to the stand. A few people milled around, looking over the different fruits. The merchant gave them a glance.

"Are you two here to buy something?" The merchant asked, his voice scrutinizing and suspicious.

Bakura stumbled for a moment, and so Ryou shifted in place and murmured, "W-we're doing shopping for our mother. She's ill."

The merchant nodded, though he didn't look convinced. He then tended to some other customers, keeping a wary eye on the twins. Ryou and his brother continued to appear as if they were browsing, and the second the merchant wasn't looking, his hand flashed out and grabbed a small bundle of grapes. They began to slide away, and Ryou thought he could breath easy, but then...

"_Thieves!_"

Bakura wasted no time grabbing onto Ryou's sleeve and fleeing away from the stand.

"They stole from this man!" A deep voice was howling. Everybody in the market turned to look at the running boys. A few made a grab for them, excited at the prospect of an entertaining execution. Ryou whimpered and clenched onto his brother as hands reached for him.

The whole situation was deja vu. Running through the streets for their lives, all because they stole something that was completely necessary for their survival. Bakura swung around a tight corner, and suddenly a pair of hands grabbed them, pulling them into a narrow alleyway.

For a split, panicked moment, Ryou swore they had been caught, but a glance backwards clarified it was merely Itja. He dragged them deeper into the alley, while a small crowd of men raced by, not seeing them in the gloom.

Itja released them. Ryou then fell to his feet, panting heavily, sweat dripping off of him. He couldn't believe they had almost been caught again, that those people were prepared to catch them and likely kill them for thieving. And why? Because he and his brother stole a couple of _grapes_?

Ryou began to weep helplessly. He punched the sandy earth beneath him in frustration. _It wasn't fair._ It wasn't their fault that their parents died, that they couldn't provide for themselves. It wasn't their fault that the only way they could get food was by stealing. Why were they being punished more, when they had already been punished enough? They had lost their home, their farm, their family...

And now they were being deprived of basic living necessities. Where was the justice in that? Why were he and his brother being forced to live on the edge of existence, teetering over the brink of starvation? It wasn't fair. It didn't make sense.

_Why is the world so cruel to us?_

His brother said something, his voice angry, but he paid no mind. His mind raced as he slowly rose to his feet and looked to Itja.

"Teach us!" He cried out, his voice wavering, his knee shaking. "Teach us how to steal, efendim. Please, we can't live like this! We're going to get caught, and we're going to get killed. We need your help, efendim." His whole body shook as the tears streamed down his puffy cheeks. "We don't know how to live out here. We don't know how to get food, where to shelter, we have nothing. P-please, teach us..."

He had to take a deep breath before he managed to continue.

"...Teach us how to survive."

**End of Part One**

* * *

It hurts writing Ryou being so weak and feeble. Anyway, hopefully the next chapter will be on time next Thursday... but it might not be. I planned part one very well, but not part two, so I'll have some thinking to do.

(1) Itja means thief in Ancient Egyptian, or so says Google. I was having a real struggle on whether I should call him Akefia or Touzoko, but I decided to go with something unique. I also like to headcanon that Thief King wouldn't have needed a name after Kul Elna, and would have eventually forgotten it.

_Review?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Two**

_ The years spent with Itja were the most hectic of Ryou's life. Being an apprentice in thieving and tomb robbing certainly wasn't what he foresaw himself doing during his years as a youth. He foresaw himself preparing to leave his parents and go out into the world, to find a wife and start a family on his own land... and yet who he turned out to be was vastly different. He always thought it to be sort of funny._

_He had long since learned out to effectively steal from a market vendor, using his innocent doe eyes and soft facial features as an effortless facade. Itja had told him long ago to use his child-like face and body structure as an advantage, so he did. It took months of near-death experiences with guards and angry merchants to gain the skill needed to learn how to effectively steal his meals._

_ Within those months, he learned not to feel bad that he was stealing. Most merchants were cruel, heartless men, willing to throw a newborn infant into the crocodile pit just for a few jewels. Though some were very gullible. Back when he was a rookie, they fell for his 'I'm shopping for my sick mother' act nearly every time. Sometimes Ryou would feel bad taking from these merchants more gullible; they actually seemed like good people. Whenever they returned to their hideout and Ryou expressed his guilt, Bakura thought him to be a fool._

_His brother was always far more unsympathetic than him, and this attitude didn't improve over the years. In fact, it got worse. He had taken on a cynical view of the world, soaking up every negative word out of their mentor's mouth and amplifying it. Over the years they spent with Itja, Bakura showed skills Ryou did not; he could move as silently as a cat on the prowl. He knew how to assess a situation and come up with a solution within moments. His skills with weapons were impressive as well, almost scarily so._

_ Ryou's skill with weapons was minuscule; cutting a fruit open was the extent of his abilities. He could hardly be sneaky either; he moved like a pregnant cow[1]. His footfall always managed to be loud, no matter how delicately he stepped. He would trip over anything, even open air. How he hadn't been caught and executed by now was an enigma; the brothers had many near-death experiences when it came to angry merchants and guards. Countless times they found themselves running through the streets, sometimes being chased as far as the desert and beyond. It had been exhausting, but it taught them to become flawless with their technique. _

_ "Mistakes are the best teachers, but are also the greatest enemies. Learn to not make them." Itja would say if they failed._

_ When they had become experts at stealing from vendors, Itja taught them how to rob from people's homes. They begun with the poor, though neither brother stole anything of value. It was merely practice. Bakura never stole anything because there was nothing worth stealing, while Ryou and his ever-present conscious couldn't allow him to steal from people that were so poor._

_ Sneaking through the small huts proved easy for his brother, but Ryou struggled. He alerted the owners of the homes many times, though his swift legs allowed him to flee before they could even register there was an intruder. He may have been clumsy, but he was also quick. It took months to perfect the art of stealth, and eventually, Itja moved them to the houses of wealthier people._

_ The folk of the upper class were far more difficult to steal from. They hid their jewels away, and sometimes even had guards around their large homes. As expected, Bakura broke into these homes with ease, found their most valued gems, then left without even alerting the guards. Meanwhile, Ryou often got the guard's attention before even entering the property. His only skill was his innocent manipulation, which could only get him so far. Guards almost never fell for this act, if only because they were too heartless. _

_ At first, he was guilty stealing gems and gold from people, until Itja dragged him to a public execution hosted by a man they had robbed only a few nights before. _

_"I gave this women everything, and she stole from me!" he was shouting to a cheering crowd as he hung her over a crocodile pit. From then, Ryou understood how corrupt the rich could be. They didn't deserve what they had. Whenever Ryou took a priceless gem, or a bundle of fresh meat, he remembered that man, how he riled up the crowd to the point of cheering as his own wife was held over a crocodile pit. Disgusted, all guilt drained from his body, and he had been able to steal anything. _

_ When they had become experts on thieving from homes, Itja had taken them into their first real tomb raid. It was of an old noble that had died a decade prior. Itja kept an eye on it, finding that no relatives visiting the tomb, Itja had taken them into its depths. There had been few traps, which Itja had shown them how to avoid or deactivate. Traps in tombs that didn't belong to Pharaohs were rare, but it had been a good opportunity for the twins._

_Soon after, the two brothers began following Itja on tomb raids. They stole all of the gold, silver, and whatever else had been given for offerings. Bakura and Itja often wore these jewels all over their persons, though Ryou chose not to. He had a few bracelets remained hidden under his robes, and two golden anklets, but that was it. He felt no need to flaunt their vast wealth, especially since if somebody chose to rob him, he wouldn't be able to defend himself. _

_ After their first major tomb, Bakura convinced him to wear his jewels to the market. He had been cackling and staring at his reflection, ogling the many pieces of jewelry that covered his neck, wrists, fingers, and ankles. Ryou sheepishly put on a few necklaces and rings, smiling at how they glinted in the sun. After he trekked to the market, he had separated himself from Bakura for better thieving. However, as he stood at the entrance of an alleyway, nonchalantly surveying the merchants, a hand had clamped over his mouth, dragging him into the gloom._

_ A couple of greasy, nasty looking man stared him down. They held knives to his neck and gut as they demanded all of his valuables. He had nodded shakily in agreement, rapidly pulling off every piece of jewelry he had and handing it over to them with quivering hands. They snatched the gold and silver, then with cruel smirks, they shoved him to the ground and had given him a few rough kicks, leaving him injured in the dust._

_ Ryou had dragged himself back to the hideout, his body battered and bruised. Itja took one look at him and demanded what happened. The second Ryou finished his story, Itja vanished. Ryou woke the next morning to see all his jewelry in a pile next to his mat, all spattered crimson with blood. __From then Ryou didn't wear jewels._

_Bakura, naturally, had mocked him for being weak. He had dealt with this quite often, but he took the words to heart that time. He knew he couldn't rely on Itja's protection; he was thirteen, a thief in the making. __Itja taught him the skills to be a good thief and a smart thinker. He had to learn to use them. _

…

"Come on. You're moving as slow as a newborn," hissed a voice from the darkness ahead.

"Well, if you didn't insist on moving so quickly..." he grumbled under his breath, though he moved a bit quicker to avoid an argument, or the risk of angering his brother.

Bakura had heard him unfortunately. "Oh, I'm sorry, do you _want_ a guard to find us here?"

Abashed, he shrunk back. "No."

"Then hurry _up_." He spun around and stalked into the darkness again.

Ryou sighed and followed, this time trying to move at the speed of his brother. The two were on their first solo mission into a tomb, and so far, it went smoothly. They found the outer entrance quite easily and promptly headed inside. The tomb was dank; the torches were unlit and the light from the stars had been long lost. Ryou and his brother had little problems with the dark, since that's how they mostly operated, but it tended to bring out Ryou's lack of grace.

He tripped for the umpteenth time, sending a small stone flying ahead. There was am angry curse, followed by a demanding hiss from his brother, "Stop making noise!"

Ryou huffed. It wasn't like there was anybody in this tomb, but one could never be too careful. He did his best to take delicate steps, not wanting to disturb any loose stones. Among the two of then, Ryou was by far the less reckless, but despite his efforts, he often found himself getting into unfortunate and awkward situations. More than a few times he had almost gotten bit by a snake or slide off the side of a cliff.

He grunted when he ran straight into his brother. He hadn't detected that the other twin had stopped walking. Bakura shoved him away (Ryou couldn't see his brother's glare, but he could sense it) and whispered, "I think I've found the second entrance. The room containing the sarcophagus has to be on the other side."

"How do we get in?"

Bakura didn't reply. Ryou wasn't surprised, though he was still frustrated. He took a step back and listened to Bakura tap at the door, trying to find a way in. He wondered if they should light the torch they had brought, but of course Bakura would claim they wouldn't need it. He was always too proud to admit he required aid from even inanimate objects. Ryou wondered why he even bothered to come. He wanted to prove himself to their mentor, sure, but how was he supposed to do that when Bakura always did _everything_ by himself? Honestly, Ryou was just a liability at this point.

"Come over here. I think the door needs two people to open it," hissed Bakura.

Ryou slid over obediently, putting his hands to the surface. Just as Bakura began telling Ryou his instructions, he stopped. Ryou was confused as to why, but then he heard it.

_Footsteps!_

Ryou sent his brother a panicked look. Neither of them were expecting visitors; Itja told them this tomb seemed to be abandoned. Bakura whispered quietly not to make a noise. The two of them then backtracked to a hallway that went off to a separate chamber (likely a trap) and crouched there. They shrunk back against the wall, into the shadows, as the stranger passed the hallway opening.

He seemed to be a man, though a young one. He held his chin high, his chest puffed out and his back straight. Ryou processed this information; this man was confident in his steps, so he had likely been here many times. He also maintained a posture that certainly wasn't found in thieves nor slaves. No, he was from a wealthy family, possibility royalty.

Through his training, Ryou was taught to be very observant. Evaluating others was one of his only strong points, and he used it well. Due to circumstance though, he couldn't verbally share his information with his brother, so he remained quiet and waited for the nameless man to pass. Once he was heading in the direction of the door they had been stuck trying to open, Bakura nudged him and they exited their hiding place.

Ryou moved with great care as they silently followed the man. Luckily, the man was shuffling along like a herd of cattle, so he and his brother's steps were drowned out. The stranger stopped at the door and hooked his torch onto a wall scone. He then began running his lithe fingers across the surface, knowing exactly what to do. Ryou would have preferred just leaving right there and then, but Bakura obviously had other plans. He had his hands up as he crept closer. Ryou knew he had every intention of capturing the other man.

Ryou followed, knowing that the stranger was notably stronger and Bakura would likely need help, but his bare foot scuffled clumsily across the stoned floor, small pebbles rolling everywhere. He sucked in his breath, but he knew he had been heard. The stranger whipped around and let out a startled yell upon seeing them. He had a long dagger out within moments, slashing it at the two brothers.

Bakura was swift, but Ryou wasn't a fortunate. He screamed as the blade cut into the flesh and muscle of his upper arm. He stumbled back, slipping onto the floor, his hand around the now gushing wound.

The man had the dagger up as he panted and stared down at Ryou in horror.

"Y-you're just a kid...!" He yelped, his dagger lowering a bit.

Bakura was at his side, growling curses as he checked the wound. "Damn it! You're bleeding like a damned waterfall!"

"It hurts..." Ryou muttered, staring down in horror at the open wound. The sight and stench of blood was making him ill.

"Who are you two?!" The stranger demanded, his voice booming with authority.

"None of your business," Bakura shot back, getting to his feet. "You better lower that weapon before I take it and shove it into your throat!"

There was a scoff. "I'm not afraid of you."

"T-there's so much blood..." Ryou whimpered, lifting his hand from the cut to see it was covered in sticky crimson. "B-bakura...!"

"It's your own fault!" Bakura barked at his brother, though he leaned down anyway and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, trying to get him to his feet. "Stop being such a wimp."

The amount of blood was absolutely dizzying. While the wound itself could have been far worse, the blood that streamed down his arm and onto the floor made his legs weak. He slithered back to the ground, his mind slipping in and out of awareness.

He could hear a string of angry curses from his brother. "Stay awake, damn it! This isn't the time to be going to sleep."

"Seems like your friend is in a bit of a rough spot. I could probably help him, if you tell me who you are and what you're doing here."

"Like you could help. Lower that damned dagger already!"

"I'm not putting down my only weapon with you glaring at me like that."

"You...!"

The spots in his vision got bigger, consuming everything in sight. The stench of thick copper filled his nose, flooding his mind with visions of rushing blood rivers and a headless Amane. He quickly faded into unconsciousness, his body hitting the floor with an echoing thump.

…

_ "You need to work on your stealth. This level of clumsiness will get you killed, not to mention the fact you faint when you see even a little bit of blood."_

_ Itja's voice was stern as he spoke to Ryou, who was only ten at the time. During a training session, he had fallen and gotten a bad cut on his knee. A trail of blood followed them all the way back to the hideout; young Ryou had to be carried back after he had momentarily lost consciousness._

_ "I'm sorry, efendim..." Ryou hung his head, a deep frown taking his lips. "I try and try, but it's so hard."_

_ "Then try harder."_

_ Ryou winced as Itja poured water onto the wound to wash the bits out. It stung, but Ryou suffered through it, even when he poured beer onto it as well to keep the infection away. Tears threatened to prick the corners of his eyes, but he desperately tried to remain strong._

_ He then took one of Ryou's tunics and ripped off a sleeve, wrapping it securely around the wound. Ryou tried moving his leg. It hurt, but at least the wound wasn't bleeding anymore._

_ "There. Good as new. Now get back out there and work on not falling on your ass."_

_ He smiled up at his mentor, his cheeks brushed with red. "Thank you, efendim."_

…

Ryou woke to the scent of herbs mixed with copper. He groaned, peeling open his eyes. He laid against a wall, the only light a flickering flame above him. His brother was standing nearby, leaning against the wall, his expression aloof, his position stiff.

"Ah, good, you're awake."

He glanced over, now seeing the stranger up close. His hair was a pale gold that looked vibrant in the flickering light. He had a strong nose, a long jaw and a sharp, intelligent pair of eyes with swerves of kohl beneath them. He blinked, his mind processing what had happened prior to his blackout.

"You...!" Ryou started, trying to move. He then winced at the spark of pain that jolted through his arm.

"Hey, take it easy," the man said, raising his hands innocently. "I just patched you up, so you probably shouldn't be moving so rashly."

"You're the one who injured him in the first place," Bakura suddenly spat.

"You two crept up on me. What was I supposed to do?"

"Stand there and take the beating I was about to give you."

Ryou reached up and rubbed his sore arm. Half of his robe had been removed so his arm could be patched up. Fresh linen wrap, that had begun to speckle red from the wound underneath, was securely wrapped around one arm.

"Thank you," He said suddenly, cutting into the two's argument.

He looked surprised with being thanked. "...No problem. You know, you have way better manners than your friend."

"I don't need to have manners!"

"But you know? It would never hurt to have some."

Ryou chuckled weakly, leaning his head against the wall. "My brother lacks any and all manners, so on behalf of him, I'm sorry."

"Ryou –! You idiot! Don't apologize to the enemy!" Bakura fumed, making the stranger smirk victoriously over at him.

_ "_Well this "enemy" did bandage my wound up."

"He gave you the wound in the first place."

"He could have left me with it." He looked to the stranger now. "Lucky you have healing supplies. Where did you learn to care for wounds so well?"

"I'm a priest in training." As he said this, he cocked his chin upwards and a smug look came across his handsome features. "I have knowledge of such things."

Bakura sputtered and Ryou looked surprised to hear this. He had never met a priest before, and he certainly wasn't expecting to run into one in a random tomb.

"You don't _look _like a priest, and even if you are, what the hell are you doing here?" Bakura grunted, looking as suspicious as ever.

"I could ask you the same thing." His guard had gone up again as he switched his gaze between the two brothers. "What are you two doing in here?"

"None of your business."

"If you say that, I'll assume you two are grave robbers." A tan hand flickered back to the hilt of his dagger which stuck out from his satchel. "I'll assume you know how illegal it is to rob tombs."

"We're not tomb robbers!" Ryou lied quickly, drawing the stranger's attention from his brother (who was quickly losing patience). "We were traveling and we heard it would be a cold night, so we found shelter."

"You could have found an inn. Or maybe some kind strangers could have given you a couple of blankets and a bed." The stranger narrowed his eyes, "A tomb is a funny place to be sheltering."

"We didn't have any alternatives." He decided to tell the truth to get some sympathy from the man. "We're traveling because we lost our family... We have no home currently."

The man stared for a moment, then grunted, seeming to believe him. "Well… even if that's true, I don't feel comfort you two staying here. I want you to leave."

"Like hell you can tell us what to do!" Bakura growled, now storming over to the man and shoving a finger against his front. "I don't care you're a "priest in training", we don't have to listen to you."

The stranger looked flabbergasted to be told such a thing. "You know I could have you punished for not listening to me," he growled.

"I don't care. We're leaving on our own accord."

"Then I'll get the guards."

"Oh, I'm so scared. Is the spoiled priest _brat_ going to run away for help like a little bitch?"

"You better be scared. They'll throw your damned ass into the crocodile pit."

Ryou pushed out a tired sigh as the two of them bickered back and forth. Not even his brother fought with Itja this much. Worried a physical fight would break out, he slowly pushed himself into a standing position, wincing each time his arm shifted beneath the linen.

"Does this mean you're done sitting around?" Bakura snapped, looking to Ryou.

"I feel better now that I can't see or smell the blood. Come on Bakura, we should go."

Bakura hissed, turned on heel and began stalking down the dark corridor. The stranger glanced at Ryou, "Charming, isn't he?"

Ryou pushed out a sigh and nodded in an exasperated manner. "I'm sorry for his behavior. And I'm sorry for intruding – we won't do it again."

"Yes, well, if you don't mind, I'm going to follow you two and make sure you leave."

Ryou nodded and began following his brother, the tanner man at his side. As they walked, he kept stealing quick glances over in the other man's direction. Each time, he was able to pick up a new exotic detail, such as the lavender glint of his eyes, and how his skin was darker than he and his brother's, but not as dark as a typical Egyptian's. He had a strong build, though not in a way that made his muscles overbearing. They were subtle curves along his skin, only barely defined by the flicker of the torch.

However, Ryou found it curious that he wasn't adorned by gold like most wealthy people were. In fact, all he had were a pair of earrings, which he found to be strange since only children and women wore them.

"My name's Malik, by the way."

Ryou blinked, surfacing back to reality. He wasn't expecting to receive a name. Itja always told him to never give out his name, but his manners and the stranger's stunning gaze prompted the answer from him. "I'm Ryou, and my delightful brother is Bakura."

"Ryou? Bakura? Those names are quiet strange. They're befitting to your skin and hair color."

Ryou panicked, suddenly remembering Malik had seen what he and his brother tried to keep hidden. Malik noticed the horrified expression on Ryou's face and chuckled. "I won't tell anybody. Who am I to judge? My hair is light gold, and my eyes are the color of an amethyst. I am different as well."

"I think they make you look exotic." Ryou couldn't keep the compliment from flying out of his mouth.

"...I never thought they were a bad thing. A few people have thought me strange for it, but I've also received a lot of admirers."

"The color of our hair and skin makes us far less desirable in the eyes of the public," Ryou sighed regretfully, pushing a stray lock under his hood. "We've been chased and beat for it."

Malik frowned. "That is unfortunate. I think they make you unique, and I don't mean that in a bad way."

Ryou glanced over to Malik with a sweet smile. He was very rarely ever complimented, especially for his looks; he was always seen as some sort of demon or threatening foreigner. It was refreshing to have someone appreciate his obscure hair and skin color.

They found themselves outside the tomb once more. The sky was still dark and the night air was cool against his skin. He gave a shiver.

"If you're done communicating with the enemy," Bakura began with a grunt, "Then we're taking our leave."

Ryou glanced at Marik. "Goodbye. And don't worry, we won't come back."

Malik nodded in response. Ryou then turned and rushed off after his brother. As they walked along the road, Ryou reflected in their failed mission. He could only imagine how Itja would react.

"...He'll be disappointed in us."

"He'll be disappointed in _me, _but he won't find fault in what you did." He flashed his brother a glare. "Even though it was your fault we failed."

"How was it my fault? Tripping over that stone was an accident."

Bakura just snorted and picked up his pace until he was several strides ahead of Ryou. He hung his head and stared at the ground as he walked, feeling stung by his brother's retort. Even with four years of thieving under his metaphorical belt, he still couldn't do anything right.

…

"You failed, didn't you?"

Neither Ryou nor Bakura had tell Itja that they were unsuccessful in their mission. He could tell from the moment they walked into their hideout.

Both of them were exhausted from traveling all night and day to get back to the series of caves in which they lived. The caves certainly weren't drab or unwelcoming since they had filled it with treasures. There was a natural pool of water in the center of one of the larger rooms, which Itja currently sat next to, his position relaxed. The expression his face held was far different however; it was hardened and angry.

"We did," Bakura finally said with a grunt. "We were discovered."

"What? That's bullshit. I watched that tomb, nobody was going to it for weeks."

"Yeah, well, we were caught anyway. An annoying brat came into the tomb after us, so we hid. I was going to knock him out, but your star pupil over here kicked a rock and alerted him that we were there."

Ryou looked down sheepishly, while Itja growled and looked at him.

"We've been through practice after practice. Why are you still_ tripping_?"

"I... didn't see it. I'm sorry, efendim." Ryou hung his head shamefully, knowing he had let his mentor down. The two of them had been working on his stealth for years, and yet he seemed to never improve.

Itja shook his head before gesturing Ryou to come closer. He complied, approaching his mentor, fearing he might be struck for his stupidity. Itja grabbed his arm and yanked him into a sitting position before tugging off his robe. Ryou sat wordlessly as Itja looked over the wound on his arm.

"The man that discovered you caused this wound?"

"Yes... we startled him, so he attacked. B-but he healed me, and he let us go..."

Itja stared closely at the bandaged wound, running his fingers along the clean linen. "This is dealt with almost expertly."

"That's because he was a priest in training. He had knowledge of healing." Bakura answered, stepping a bit closer to the two of them. This caught Itja's attention.

"A priest? Interesting..." Itja narrowed his eyes. "What did he look like?"

"He was really strange looking," Bakura answered. "He had bright purple eyes and hair the color of the sun."

Itja processed this information before he said, "He could be from Thebes..."

"Thebes? But that's a several day journey. Why would he travel all the way out here?" Ryou wondered quietly, edging towards the pool so he could clean the wound. "He would probably be from the local city."

"I said he could be." Itja answered. "But I know all of the local city's priests, and there are only two in training, none of them looking like who you just described."

"Why does it matter?" Bakura growled, suddenly looking angry again. "He was just some spoiled brat. Who cares who he is?"

"That_ spoiled brat_ could be a link to Pharaoh Atem," the older man explained with a hiss. "Use your damn brain, Bakura."

Suddenly, the two were pulled into an argument, which was nothing new. Ryou pursed his lips as he dipped a cloth into the pool of water and began dabbing his wound. He hissed and winced in pain, but continued running the cloth along the open gash. Once he was done, he abandoned the quarreling pair and went to his bed. He curled up on the mat and faced away from the other two, feeling the exhaustion blanket over him.

* * *

Late update and a shorter chapter than usual. I started a new quarter of school and adjusting to classes has been difficult. After playing some of Yugioh: Forbidden Memories I suddenly got inspired to work and finish this chapter... the background of the town square is actually good inspiration for one of the future scenes I have planned.

[1] I was watching my best friend play Oblivion when a Khajiit bandit attacked his character and said "you move like a pregnant cow!". For some reason we laughed really hard and my friend jokingly said "put it in one of your yugioh fics"

...so I did. Anyways yeah that line is from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

_R&amp;R?_


	5. Chapter 5

The night air was cool as it coiled around his body, causing an occasional shiver. He buried himself deeper into his robe and continued onward; the cold air didn't bother him very much. Ryou had long since grown used to everything about the night. The moon put him at ease more than the sun and the stars made good company. During the day, there was nothing but clear blue, but at night the whole sky was lit with tiny specks. He liked to think they symbolized each life that had passed, the biggest one to the north being Amane.

Years of being trained in thievery taught him that the cover of darkness was the best time to strike, unless you're after freshly cooked food. It was easier to slip into a house when everybody's asleep and blind to the world. There were fewer guards about as well, allowing thieves and criminals to roam free. It was during this time that both Ryou and his brother flourished. It took quite a bit of time to get used to; as a child, he was used to sleeping with the sun and rising with it. Now he was used to setting and rising with the moon, like a true child of the night.

When the sun was set, he felt tranquil… if it were under other circumstances, he would be at peace under the stars at this time. As Ryou trudged along, he glanced up to seek solace from the glittering specks. His feet shuffled along the sand stumbling over a shrub.

"Pick up the pace, Ryou."

Ryou wordlessly followed his brother's order and quickened his shuffling pace. He and his brother barely had a chance to relax from their failed tomb mission before they had been sent out again.

…

_"I want you to find that priest." Itja ordered._

_ Ryou rubbed his eyes and yawned; his mentor had rudely awoken him from a food-related dream to give him a mission. His brother was already awake, though the ever-present bags under his eyes signaled he didn't catch up on sleep either._

_ "But… why?" Ryou asked, pulling his hand from his eye to gaze up at the taller man curiously. _

_ "Like I said yesterday, he could have relations to Pharaoh Atem," Itja replied, looking annoyed he had to repeat himself. Ryou looked down sheepishly._

_ "Why do you think that?" Bakura asked with a scoff. "He could be from any city."_

_ "It's the only lead I've seen in quite a while. If you don't do it, I will, but I will punish you later for refusing such an important mission."_

_ "No. We'll do it." Bakura answered hastily, his eyes narrowing. "Once we find him, what do you want us to do with him?"_

_ "I want you to get him here."_

_ "How?"_

_ Itja rolled his eyes. "Do I have to hold your hand? Use your imagination. You'll come up with something. Now get going, the quicker you finish this mission the better."_

…

Ryou sighed at the memory… he was still tired. His feet were trudging along the earth at a near-snail pace, despite his brother's prompts to get him to walk faster.

"It's not like we're on a time limit," he tried to reason.

"That priest could leave the city at any time now. So yes we are. Now stop moving at the pace of a lame donkey and get a move on!"

His brother was already several strides in front of him. He didn't even bother turning his head to address Ryou; he merely kept walking with swift steps that reflected his short temper and violent personality.

Ryou forced his tired feet to move faster until he was walking alongside his brother. They were traveling along a path worn down by variations of travelers, so it was impossible to get lost, even with Ryou's poor sense of direction. Nobody was out in the dead of night, but during the day the road would surely be packed with people including journeymen, farmers, merchants, and platoons of guards.

The city soon made its appearance on the horizon. It wasn't a vast city, but the buildings and houses still rose up against the otherwise flat environment. They had been staying in their current hideout for quite sometime, so he and his brother had been here often.

Knowing the main road would be guarded even in the middle of the night, they went around, finding a crumbled section of wall that was easy to climb over. Ryou allowed Bakura to lead like usual as they headed away from the wall and into the city. Pits and scones burned in the streets and on some of the building's walls. They avoided the illumination, not wanting to be detected, especially so early into their mission.

They headed in the direction of the city temple, which was near its center. Itja had taught them that the concept of Gods was ridiculous, and the life of religion was no life at all. Eventually Ryou absorbed this philosophy; he had seen too many hardships in his short life to believe that there were merciful Gods.

Bakura suddenly turned and crouched as they were passing through a narrow alley. Ryou stopped as well, not expecting the sudden halt. He sat down on the ground next to his brother.

"Okay, game plan," Bakura said quietly. "The bastard didn't provide us with much information, the horse's ass, so we have to figure it out." Using his finger, he drew something in the dirt that Ryou couldn't quite identify.

"Brother, why did you draw a cow on the ground?"

"Wh –? It's not a cow, it's the temple!" Bakura hissed.

"Are you sure? Look, the legs are right there –"

"It's _not _a cow. Stop being stupid."

"Well, maybe if you had drawn it better..."

"_Fine. _You draw it then."

Ryou dusted over the previous sketch and drew an outline of the temple the best he could. He drew some of the buildings around it, hoping they were reasonably accurate.

"Okay. We're here." He put an X where the two of them were in comparison to the temple. "We need to find out where the priests stay, and we need to find out that brat's movement throughout the day."

Ryou nodded as his brother spoke, finding the plan reasonable.

"After we figure out his schedule, we can ambush him when he's alone and knock him out. – what? What's that look?"

Ryou wasn't aware he had made a look. He straightened out his face to attempt to appear innocent."What look?"

"Don't chicken out. It's not like we're going to kill him."

"I know... we just normally don't have to do anything that involves hurting people." Ryou awkwardly shifted in place.

"Well, there's a first for everything." Bakura scoffed as he erased the drawing by shuffling his foot over the dust and stood up. "Let's scout the area a bit better then we'll rest before the sun rises."

Ryou nodded and stood as well. He followed his brother through the alleyways and did his best to memorize the area, including possible hiding places and getaway routes. It was one of the first things Itja taught them; they had to know their environment well, especially for extensive missions such as this. They avoided some of the guards that patrolled outside the temple, staying in the shadows and waiting patiently for them to pass before continuing on their way. They managed to find a good hiding place under a broken cart, which was discarded in a ditch behind a large building.

Along with the broken cart, they found several convenient getaways in case things went wrong. Bakura was reckless and brash at times, but it even he knew there was _always_ a possibility of a mistake. Or perhaps it was because Ryou was accompanying him, and he had a tendency to mess things up.

_Would he be this careful if he was doing this mission on his own?_ Ryou couldn't help but wonder as they looped back to their original position..

The two of them sat down on the ground and gave themselves a quick rest before the sun rose. Ryou shuffled a bit closer to Bakura and leaned against him. Like usual, Bakura grunted and pushed Ryou off of him.

"Stop." He growled. "We aren't kids anymore."

It hurt to hear, even if he said it each time Ryou tried to display any affection. Ryou stared down at his dirty hands before bringing his knees up. He curled his arms around them and buried his face in his knees. It was a cold night, and now it felt even colder.

…

Ryou didn't sleep much. He mostly dozed until Bakura shook him awake. Wordlessly, the two pulled up their hoods and left the sanctuary of the dirty alley. People were beginning to come out of the woodwork, many heading to the river or to the fields for work. They paid little mind to the two brothers who were well hidden under their robes.

As hungry as Ryou was, it seemed Bakura didn't want to stop to steal any sort of breakfast. He was heading for the temple, his chestnut eyes hard with focus. Ryou ignored his hunger and instead focused on the mission as well. He had some misgivings about what they were doing, but as much as he was against hurting somebody, he wanted to impress Itja and show the man he was just as determined and skilled as his brother.

In the temple courtyard, many of the priests were already awake and washing the statues. Bakura merely scoffed at the sight. They both slid off to the side and watched them closely, though after a while, he couldn't pick out Malik among them.

It would be far easier if they could look out from a roof, but in the broad daylight, when people hung around on their rooftops with their families, it would be risky and idiotic to even try. They had to remain on the ground and do there best to scout the priest out. Minutes ticked into hours. The priests had cleaned the statues and entered the temple. The brothers kept a close eye on who entered and exited the temple, and while they saw many people, none fit Malik's appearance. As it approached midday and people thinned out to find shade or eat lunch, Bakura let out an irritated sigh.

"We aren't going to find him sitting around. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the temple and courtyard, you scout around the area." His gaze turned into a glare, "And _don't _get caught, because Itja isn't here to save you."

Ryou huffed, offended. "I can do a simple scouting job."

"Tch. Be back before sunset if you don't find anything."

Ryou nodded. He turned and left, though as he walked, he quickly realized he had no idea which direction to go in. His steps faltered and he glanced around, trying to remember how to find his way around from their scouting last night. He padded along with the crowd, keeping an eye out for any signs of Malik. He didn't think he would find anything; it was a large city and Malik could have been anywhere.

After awhile of searching the areas near the temple, he sighed and decided he was hungry. He hadn't eaten since... well, he couldn't remember. He headed to a nearby marketplace that milled with people looking to trade. As he walked, he allowed his eyes to search over the stalls, his lax pose and natural step assuring that he wouldn't be seen as suspicious. The process was as simple as breathing to him.

Ryou spotted an older vendor who had nuts and chickpeas laying out. He wasn't a fan of chickpeas, but he only needed a few to sate his hunger, and the merchant looked as if he wouldn't put up much of a fight. He headed towards the table where the man had his products. As Ryou approached, he saw somebody complaining about his produce. It was an elderly woman, and it looked as if the two were in a heated argument.

_Child's play, _he couldn't help but think. He swept by the table as the man spat something at the woman. He reached out with his fingers, easily scooping a few of the chickpeas into his hand. He retracted his appendage back into his robe, silently praising himself for the victory. He casually left the stall and slipped onto the ground in the shade once he was a safe distance away. He licked his lips and began nibbling on the chickpeas. He hated the way they tasted, but his stomach sung in delight as he consumed them.

"..._We can't let Malik leave on his own again. It's too dangerous."_

Ryou's interest perked as he heard the name. He quickly glanced around, forgetting not to act suspicious. The source of the voice came from a tall, broad-shouldered man who walked beside a tall yet petite woman.

"I know that, Rishid. I know that as well as anybody."

The woman's voice was sharp with intelligence.

As they passed, Ryou stuffed the rest of the chickpeas into his robe and stood up to follow them. He tried to act inconspicuous as he walked a few paces behind them. Luckily, they didn't seem to notice his presence.

"You explained to him that it is dangerous to go into tombs alone, yes?" The woman asked.

"I did... but you know how hot-headed he can be."

There was an exasperated sigh, followed by what sounded like an agreement.

Ryou couldn't be sure that they were speaking of the Malik he was tracking, but it couldn't hurt to continue following them, so he did. He remained as careful as he could as he strained his ears to pick up bits of their conversation.

He tracked them through the streets until they eventually headed down a grassy courtyard and into a large building. He cursed to himself; he couldn't enter such an area without making himself obvious. He hung back and analyzed the area instead. He came to the conclusion that the building was an inn for wealthy men and nobles – or even a visiting priests, given its graceful architecture and the stature of the structure itself.

_That means there will be guards. I'll have to be careful._

Ryou moved quickly so he wouldn't lose them. Thinking fast, he decided to try and eavesdrop on anything else they might say. He headed around the the side of the building and into the dark crack of an alleyway. It seemed trodden on, so he assumed it lead to a back entrance for servants. He crouched beneath the small windows, hoping he would hear them speak again. He strained his ears as he followed the perimeter of the building. Perhaps he could get more information that would include Malik's whereabouts.

Then, he heard the deep tone of the man through one of the smaller windows. Remaining on his hands and knees, he edged towards it, doing his best to stay in the shadow of the building to reduce detection.

"_That was a foolish thing to do, Malik."_

_ "What? Visiting the family tomb? How is that foolish?"_

Ryou recognized the brash voice of Malik. He sounded defensive and hostile.

_"That's not the problem," he heard the woman's voice_. "_You went without us. We told you not to."_

_ "It's not like I was in any danger, Ishizu." _Snorted Malik's nasally voice.

_ "But you were! You know how common tomb robbers are, especially here."_

This statement was followed by an angry growl.

"_Malik..." Rishid began to speak, "It's our duty to protect you. That's what Father told us to do."_

_ "You don't need to hold my hand. I'm not some child!"_

_ "Well, you're definitely acting like one!" Ishizu hissed._

_ "And you're acting like Father!"_

There was a moment of silence, followed by an exasperated sigh.

_ "You shouldn't have gone on your own, Malik. Tonight, we're going to have the guards make sure you're never alone, so you don't leave again."_

_ "What?! You can't do that!"_

_ "I can and will. We're leaving first thing in the morning. Since you already visited Mother, Rishid and I will go alone."_

Malik sounded startled and appalled as he yelped,_"That's hardly fair!"_

_ "That's the way it is. I'm sorry..." _

There was a thick silence that stretched on between the three of them.

_ "You're not sorry." _Malik muttered bitterly.

Ryou remained there for several moments more. He heard the sounds of retreating footsteps, presumably Ishizu and Rishid, because he still heard Malik curse and sigh to himself in his room. Ryou grinned a bit. _What luck! _He had found out some helpful information that would surely assist them greatly in their mission.

_I have to get to Bakura to tell him we only have until tomorrow morning! _Ryou suddenly thought. He quickly backtracked until he was safely away from the building. He then sped through the city, doing his best not to draw attention as he tried to get to Bakura as quickly as possible.

…

"Bakura!" Ryou yelped upon seeing his brother right where he had left him.

Bakura suddenly whipped his head towards Ryou, obviously not expecting his brother's sudden appearance."Ryou, not so loud," he hissed. "What is it? I told you not to come back until sunset unless you found something out."

"But I did!"

"Oh? Spit it out then." Bakura seemed almost bored.

"I found Malik! He's staying at this really nice inn not far from here."

"What? Really?" For once Bakura seemed very interested. "How'd you manage to find him?"

"I was eating a bit of lunch when, by some miracle, a man and a woman walked by talking about Malik. I followed them, and they led me right to him!" Ryou said proudly.

"You followed them...? And you're sure they didn't see you?"

"Nope."

Bakura scoffed and glanced away. "Good job," he muttered before he began walking in the direction Ryou had come. "We'll need to figure out how we'll get him..."

Ryou's heart was still soaring at the compliment Bakura had given him. He followed close behind. "I heard that they're going to have his room guarded, so that he can't just leave. Apparently he's in trouble for visiting that tomb alone."

"Then we'll need to plan accordingly." Bakura then turned, his eyes dark. "You're absolutely sure all this information is correct?"

Ryou was taken back by the sudden intensity. "Yes, it is. I'm not stupid, you know." He couldn't help but snap.

Bakura's nostrils flared in anger for a moment before he sighed. He didn't say anything else as he turned around and began walking again. A bit hurt, Ryou silently lead the way back to the inn. Once they were there, Ryou stayed behind and let Bakura scout the area for himself.. He absently nibbled on the remaining chickpeas while he waited.

"I think I have a plan, but it'll be risky," he said as he returned. "There are two entrances, a back door for servants and the main front door. In the center of the inn is a garden area, which we don't want to get trapped in in case things go bad. So, we'll need to cause a distraction to get the guards away."

"That's risky..." Ryou repeated his brother with a sigh.

"It's the only way, unless you have any bright ideas."

Looking miserable, he shook his head.

"Okay. One of us will need to cause a disturbance and get the guards distracted. It's only a short window of opportunity, but the the other one of us can sneak in through the window, knock him out –"

"Isn't there a better way than knocking him out?" Ryou butt in. "I mean, knocking him unconscious could be risky... Itja said the techniques he taught us can cause severe injury..."

Bakura rolled his eyes.. "Fine. Looks like _I'll_ have to be the one to do it. That means you're in charge of distracting the guards."

Ryou nodded. Even if it was a dangerous task, he felt more comfortable with it than

confronting Malik with the intention of hurting him, even if he was a stranger and vital. "When are we going to move out? His siblings said they were going to be out this evening, visiting the tomb he was in last night. Should we leave at nightfall, then?"

"Yes. Until then, we'll rest."

Ryou nodded in agreement. They'll need all their energy for this.

…

As soon as the sun began to dip behind the horizon, the two brothers were on the move. They did one last search of the perimeter to make sure there were no nightly guard patrols. They had practically memorized the outside of the building by now, but one could never be too careful, especially while doing something to dangerous. They halted behind the building where the small servant's entrance was located.

"I'm going to wait near the window. You get the guards away from the door so they don't hear anything," Bakura murmured to him.

Ryou nodded and wordlessly headed towards the small door. Getting through the narrow and decrepit passage was easy enough, though he still moved with great care. He didn't know the inside layout, since the two of them couldn't scout around the interior before before they initiated their plan. It seemed there were only a few hallways throughout the building, since it wasn't very vast. As he turned a corner, he suddenly shrunk back. Ryou could see a couple of guards outside a door.

Given where he was inside the building and where Malik's window was on the outside, he could easily presume that those guards were outside his room. Ryou swallowed fearfully. This was it. He would have to remember all his training to do this. He let out a careful breath an lingered in the shadows, trying to summon up the courage to run out. His brother would surely be getting impatient with his stalling, but moving his feet was such a difficult task...

He sighed inwardly and forced himself forward. He bolted into the open. "Thief! Thief!" He screamed, running at them. "Somebody stole my precious necklace!"

He forced some tears to well up in his eyes when the guards looked merely bored with him. "It was my father's! He's very wealthy, so he has a lot of gold, and he wouldn't care about one measly necklace, but this one was special!"

Both of them looked interested now that he had mentioned gold. They smirked at each other before one of them came forward. "Calm down. We'll find the thief. Which way did they go?"

Ryou sniffled and pointed down the hallway he had come from. "This way! He bolted out the servant's entrance!"

It was easy enough fulling the thick guards by using gold as leverage, but now he had to lure them from the building. He guided them down the narrow exit and then lead them onto the streets. "This way! I saw him go this way!"

The guards eagerly followed, their minds likely dancing with the thought of being rewarded by a wealthy family. However, after quite a few minutes of Ryou leading them in circles, one of them asked in an irritated tone, "Kid, are you sure they went this way? I don't see anyone."

_They're catching onto me! No!_

Thinking fast, he suddenly halted and turned around. His eyes flitted over their bodies. They landed on a dagger strapped to one of the guards' waist. Fear and desperation driving him, he flashed a hand out and grabbed the dagger. Before they could react, he slashed randomly at one of them.

There was a screech of pain as the guard backed up, clenching his wound. He growled and cursed, "You little son of a whore –!"

Ryou did barely any damage: just a shallow laceration across the front of his thigh, but it was enough to anger them. He dumbly dropped the dagger and tore off running, the two now furious guards in hot pursuit.

_That was the stupidest thing I've ever done! _Ryou thought, mortified. _At least it will give Bakura time, though..._

The men were cursing behind him. Despite one having a wound, their adult legs strode longer than his own, but he still had the advantage of speed. These guards were out of shape, they had groan lazy with easy jobs and big meals. He swung around the side of a building and knocked down an abandoned vendor stall to give himself some time.

He raced down the empty street, his eyes easily adjusting to the darkness of the night. His eyes switched to the rooftops.

_No. They might trap me on one. _He argued with himself. He had already done one idiotic thing, no need to add to it.

Instead he relied on their night blindness and the turning alleyways to get away from the guards. He turned on a dime and hurtled between two buildings. He looked back in horror to see they had been right behind him. The blood in his ears roared from adrenaline, blocking out noises he would have normally heard. The two tried to squeeze in after him, but they moved slowly and with great difficulty. There was barely any space for him, let alone two adults.

Fear yet again driving him, he made it out the other side and darted away, leaving the adults to shimmy down the narrow space. Panicking, his eyes searched frantically for someplace to go.

_The broken cart!_

He recalled it was nearby, so he picked up the pace. The guards made it out of the alleyway and were now after him again, but there was a large gap between them. They had been slowed down a significant amount, giving him the much needed extra time to get to the cart and hide.

Ryou found the pile of discarded wood quickly. Without hesitation, he dived under the wreckage and wriggled across the dusty ground as far back as he could go. In the distance, he heard the men searching for him.

"_Where did that damn boy go?_"

"_He's as slippery as a damn fish._"

Ryou's poor heart thumped within is small chest. He was sure it would break through his very ribcage. He squeezed his eyes shut and strained his ears to hear their steps. Thankfully, they were getting fainter. He breathed softly in relief, but he waited a long time until he was absolutely sure they had moved on. Not wanting to keep Bakura waiting, he hurried out from under the cart and headed back to the inn with great caution.

He carefully headed to the window and peaked over the edge. Right away he saw his brother standing next to a limp Malik.

"There you are," Bakura hissed upon seeing Ryou. "What took you so long?"

"They got suspicious, so I had to run from them..." he muttered. "How did your end go?"

"Never-mind that. We have to get out of here." He said as he hoisted Malik's unconscious body up and shoved him out of the window and into the deserted alleyway. "We have more important things to do."

Ryou backed away as Malik's body slumped onto the ground like a rag-doll. He glared up at up at Bakura. "Be careful with his body."

"It's heavy as a horse. It's impossible to be careful with it," Bakura argued.

Ryou gave his brother an eye-roll and a scowl. "Okay. So we have him, now how do we get him out of the city?"

Bakura merely scoffed. "I have a plan."

"Oh?"

Bakura leaned down and stripped him of his robes so he didn't have the appearance of a priest. He then heaved him upwards and pulled an arm around his shoulders. After he was prompted, Ryou did the same so Malik's body sagged between them.

"We have to be swift. Let's go."

Ryou was still very unsure of Bakura's "plan", but he had to trust in his brother's judgment. They half-dragged, half-carried Malik's body through the city. The streets were mostly empty except for the occasional guard. Ryou's heart beat faster as one spotted them and came over. He cast a panicked look at Bakura. He looked cool and composed.

"Halt! Who are you two? What are you doing with him?" He nodded towards Malik with a suspicious look.

When Bakura spoke, his words were slurred as if he were drunk. "We're just taking this guy home. He drank himself silly."

The guard then grinned knowingly and nodded. "Ah. Well, good on you two, but get home as soon as you can. You shouldn't be out at night. People will think you're up to something."

"We will, _efendim_." Bakura said with a respect Ryou has rarely heard.

The guard left, and with an internal sigh of relief, they continued taking the unconscious man through the city. Bakura used the same method to trick anybody who asked what they were doing. Ryou had to admit this was an incredibly ridiculous plan, and yet it was somehow working.

Ryou didn't feel relieved until the city was far behind them. He collapsed on the ground, his shoulders aching from the weight of Malik.

"We can't stop now," Bakura growled, trying to hold the priest up.

"But I'm so tired..."

Bakura rolled his eyes and let Malik drop to the ground.

"Stop throwing his body around!" Ryou hissed. "You're going to injure him at this rate."

Bakura stroked his jaw. "That bastard punched me. I'm not going easy on him."

"He punched you because you were a intruder in his room. You can hardly blame him."

His brother scoffed and turned away. He moved his robe and dug into the pouch at his waist, pulling out from strips of cloth and rope. He threw them at Ryou. "If you're going to rest, at least be useful and tie him up."

"Why? It's not like he's going to wake up."

"He could. Just do it."

And so, Ryou took the cloth and rope and began tying him up. He pulled both his wrists behind his body and tied the rope around both of them, securing it in a knot. He did the same with his ankles, trying to ignore the fresh stirs of guilt in his gut. Malik seemed like a nice enough man, and they were tying him up like a stuffed pig.

Bakura didn't help that guilt as he grabbed the cloth and tied it around his mouth as a makeshift gag. He then hoisted him up by the front of his body. "Take his feet," his brother ordered.

Ryou nodded and did as he was told. As they began walking, Bakura muttered,"We have to keep moving... They'll be looking for him."


	6. Chapter 6

When the two brothers trailed into their dank cave, a slumped, grunting Malik between them. Itja had been understandably furious. Itja being infuriated was as normal as breathing air. Sure, he could put on a mask of stoicism, but the second something didn't go his way, he was never too pleased about it. He lived arrogance that could match Bakura's, the only difference being he had actual skill, while Bakura just gracefully fumbled around.

Ryou sighed heavily as he listened to the pair. They were in a heated argument, Bakura indignantly defending his "brilliant plan" while Itja berated him, each word laced with insults.

"It was such a stupid thing to do! You're lucky only the stupid guards were out, or you and your brother would probably be hanging by your toes over a crocodile pit!" Itja was barking.

"You didn't tell us how to get him out of the fucking city! There weren't many options!" Bakura snarled back. He looked pathetic arguing with Itja, who was broad and mighty, his face hardened by years of what Ryou could tell was torment (though that was never verified, since his master was such a private person). He towered over Bakura, who was as scrawny and pale as ever, merely a ghost in comparison.

Puberty had yet to set in, so he was short and he still held a bit of his baby fat. His voice cracked a bit and his eyes blazed, though not with the same malice and rage that were seeded into Itja's harsh gaze.

As the two went at it, Ryou pushed himself to his feet. He had already gotten his share of Itja's barbed tongue, so he figured he might as well make himself useful.

Malik had been stirring for a while now, though it seemed consciousness was coming slow. He groaned, the noises of pain and discomfort going unheard by the quarreling pair, so Ryou took it upon himself to walk over to him with steady feet.

Itja had hammered a stake into the stone wall, which was used to hold Malik in place. He was bound at the hands still, his wrists seeming rather scrawny as they hung limply from ropes knotted through the stake. His ankles were still bound too, though the gag had been removed. Itja wanted him information, after all.

Ryou settled down in front of the other boy, going unnoticed by his two companions, and put the back of his hand to his forehead. It felt to be a normal temperature, though he wasn't sure he was expecting different. It wasn't as if he would have gotten a fever, but Ryou wanted to feel useful in some way.

The touch roused Malik further and two exotic eyes blinked open. They were unfocused and confused as they darted sluggishly around, finally landing on Ryou. He felt a little self-conscious and wary of the gaze, so he shuffled back, as if Malik could somehow hurt him.

"Wh…?" The word fumbled from Malik's chapped lips and he rose his head further, until his whole face was directed to Ryou. "Where… am I?" He asked, though the question seemed mostly to himself as he peered around the dark cave.

Suddenly, in a spark of realization, his eyes shot wide and he pulled harshly at the ropes. Ryou looked startled as the boy began kicking his bound feet and writhing his body.

"What is this?!" He yelled, his muscles straining as he yanked at the stake, though it didn't budge.

The sudden loud noises drew the attention of Itja and Bakura. Itja raced over, pushing Ryou back and away from Malik's flailing limbs.

"You can struggle all you want, you're not getting out." Itja growled, stomping his foot down in one of Malik's writhing legs.

"Bastard–who the hell are you?!" Malik screamed.

"That is none of your concern. The only thing that matters here is information."

But he wasn't listening. He just pulled and yanked, his whole body struggling and writhing. Itja frowned, obviously not very amused with Malik's rebellious behavior. Suddenly, he stomped his feet, kicking Malik hard in the chest. The boy yelled out and began coughing, though he was barely given a break as Itja did it a second time.

Ryou was shocked by the sudden display of malice. He jumped up and turned to Itja. "Stop! He's already hurt enough!"

He looked around at him and narrowed his dull gray eyes. Ryou never rose his voice at his master and trainer, but he refused to witness such cruelty. It was bad enough he had to partake in practically dragging his body across the desert after kidnapping him.

"Ryou, why do you always show such kindness to even the vilest of people?"

"You don't know him. You don't know what he does." Ryou offered boldly. "Let me help him. He has a few wounds from Bakura's rough treatment."

Bakura gawked at his brother. "Heal the enemy? Ryou, the sun has finally fried your brain," he growled.

The youth bristled. "I just don't see the point in torturing him…" he mumbled, starting to feel unheard. Itja and Bakura never listened to him. He was never taken seriously. He might as well have been a toddler crying about a scrapped elbow.

"Ryou. You show too much mercy. It will be your downfall one day." Itja murmured, his voice a bit distant. Ryou was surprised to see him moving away from Malik, who was still coughing. "You have a half an hour." He said flatly.

"W-what! Damn it!" Bakura snarled. "You're going to let him tend to the enemy's wounds?"

"I don't want to hear any fucking arguing. Now make yourself useful and go feed Ma'at and clean up his shit."

"That's Ryou's job!"

"Go!"

Itja's voice practically bellowed throughout the cave, making Bakura flinch at the might of his command. He growled and stormed out, followed shortly by Itja.

Ryou was left alone in the cave with Malik. He felt uneasy, being in a space with just a stranger. Granted, the stranger was injured and tied up, posing absolutely no threat, but he never found himself in such a situation without his brother. His sharp-tongued, loyal, protective brother…

He sighed and went to get a few healing supplies. Itja had a habit of using beer and then throwing a piece of dirty clothing over a wound, but Ryou prompted him to gather better healing supplies from the homes of healers. It wasn't much except for salves and bandages, but steadily Ryou was learning how to properly use them.

Honey was good for cuts and open wounds, and combined with milk or wine made it even more effective. Coriander was good for pain relief, which his hectic, makeshift family needed quite often. Itja and Bakura were stubborn in not showing their pain, but Ryou always knew. They never said anything when he slipped the seeds in their food. He smiled fondly to himself.

After filling a small basin with some water from the natural pool, he went to Malik and settled down next to him.

Malik seemed to have recovered from his couching fit. He was staring ahead with a blank expression, until Ryou moved to clean up a cut under his eye. Malik snapped his head away and glared. "Don't touch me."

Ryou shrank away a bit, though the sudden hostility was to be expected.

"Wait… I know you. Yeah. You were in my mother's tomb…" Malik narrowed his eyes. "I knew there was something off about you two. Nobody just shelters in a tomb from the cold."

Ryou looked down. "I-I'm sorry…"

Malik sneered. "Why the hell am I here? Last thing I remember is that–that guy, Bakura, suddenly jumping into my room at the inn. And now, I wake up in some cave?!" His voice became shrill and he began to squirm again.

"P-please don't move around! I'm worried my brother might have hurt you…"

"Please. Your brother is a fucking wimp. He can't hurt me." Malik replied flatly. He looked to Ryou again, his eyes blazing with anger. "Why the hell am I here? That guy mentioned what? Information? What information?!"

"Ah... I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask you about it." Ryou replied. "Please, I don't want to hurt you. I was against capturing you in the first place. But I have to follow my brother and Itja."

Malik just scoffed. Wordlessly and sheepishly, Ryou moved to clean up his cuts again. His whole body tensed, which made Ryou pause tentatively. He couldn't be sure why Malik was tensing, whether it was out of pain, fear, or reflex. Any would make sense, given his current situation. He felt for Malik, he really did, and he wished this whole thing didn't have to turn out so messy.

"I won't hurt you." Ryou chose to say.

Malik just let out a soft scoff and chose not to respond intelligibly, which Ryou could respect. He moved to treat his wounds once more, this time ignoring the reaction.

He smeared some poultice on the larger cuts, making Malik hiss. Ryou smiled sympathetically – the mixture was just a bit of honey, and thyme, to keep away infection and help with the pain, but he knew it could bring a few moments of discomfort to open flesh.

"I'm sure if you just answer my teacher's questions when he gets back, he'll let you go." Ryou offered hopefully.

"I don't even know what questions he wants answered."

"He'll be back soon to ask." Ryou settled down next to Malik.

"…You're very civil in comparison to both of them." He suddenly commented, gazing at Ryou curiously. "Why are you helping me like this?"

"I don't see the point in making you suffer or bringing you pain." Ryou replied. "I wasn't very enthusiastic about dragging you out here, but my teacher told me to, and so I did."

"Do you just listen to everything he tells you?"

"Of course."

Malik scoffed and looked away. Ryou furrowed his brows, but then he sighed.

"Maybe I can get them to at least untie you." He offered. "Surely being like that can't be comfortable."

"That would make it easy to get away, and I doubt that guy would allow it." Malik grunted, shifting his wrists in the bounds. "But you're right, this is very uncomfortable. Not that it matters."

"Why wouldn't it matter?"

"I'm a prisoner to you people. Comfort doesn't matter."

"You're still a person who can feel pain. There's no reason for you to suffer."

Malik was quiet for a long moment as he gazed curiously at Ryou, before he said, "…You're weird."

Ryou blinked then huffed. "Am not! How am I weird?"

Malik shook his head and looked away, though Ryou didn't fail to notice the slightly amused look on his face. Ryou still looked indignant, so he gathered his supplies and marched away to hit mat, which was only a few feet away, but any distance was good enough.

He laid there until he heard the faint footfall of Itja, so he rose off his mat and rubbed his eyes.

"Alright. You're going to answer my questions now, Priest." Itja was saying to Malik as he towered over the bound boy.

"I'm not a priest yet. I still have more training." Malik huffed back, his spirit blazing as hot as ever.

"I don't care. Now tell me, what city are you from?"

"Untie me and maybe I'll tell you."

Itja growled under his breath. "Annoying brat… you're in no position to be bargaining." He warned dangerously, his voice making Ryou shiver a little in fright. He got up and padded over to Itja's side.

"If you want this 'information' I possess, then you bet your ass we're going to bargain. I don't want to be tied up." Malik demanded.

Frightened for Malik's well-being, Ryou suggested in a low voice, "Maybe we should release him…"

"Ryou, you're being far too soft again. It's bad enough that I let you tend to his wounds." Itja grunted with irritation. "Just remain silent."

He stooped down to Malik's level, his chromic eyes burning with intensity. "If you answer all of my questions, I will untie you. All I want is information.

Malik gazed at him distrustfully and replied very slowly with, "…What information?"

Itja looked satisfied. "Do you come from Thebes?"

"…Yes."

"You're a priest in training in the city of Thebes, then?"

Malik nodded.

"You work in the temple, yes? And I imagine you get to go to the palace quite often as well."

"…I've been in there quite a few times, yes."

"This means… you've seen Pharaoh Atem?"

Malik visibly tensed. "Perhaps I have seen him."

"Answer yes or no, boy."

"Why do you want to know if I've seen the Pharaoh? Why does it matter?"

"None of your concern. Have you seen him?"

Malik seemed to almost shrink under the harsh gaze the King of Thieves was giving him, so he answered with, "Yes. I've seen him before. My father is the head priest in Thebes. I sometimes go along with him when he goes to the Palace to speak with Pharaoh Atem."

Ryou's eyes widened. To see the Pharaoh, to be in such close quarters with him was considered to be an incredible honor for most citizens, though Malik almost spoke with… hostility. Venom dripped on the edge of his tone, making the back of the hairs on Ryou's neck stand.

"How recently did you see him?"

"A couple of weeks ago."

A very slight smirk pulled at Itja's lips. It looked almost dangerous.

"That's all for now." He replied before he stood up straight and left the small cave once again.

Malik stared after him, confused, before he started writhing. "H-hey! Wait! You were supposed to untie me!"

But Itja was gone, leaving Ryou to give Malik a look of sympathy. He kneeled on his knees next to the bound boy, who gave him an angry look.

"What?"

"You've really seen the Pharaoh? The real Pharaoh Atem?"

"I told you friend I did, yes." Malik replied flatly. He obviously wasn't amused at the fact he was still tied up despite the bargain he had made with Itja. "Why? Why in the hell does it matter?"

"What's he like?" Ryou asked, ignoring all of Malik's hostility. "I've only heard about him, from what I hear on the streets and what my teacher tells me. I want to know more about him, though."

"He's… glorious and mighty in every way, and Egypt is blessed to have a ruler such as him."

His words sounded hollow to Ryou. Memorized, recited, spoken time and time again, which brought Ryou disappointment. He was genuinely curious what the Pharaoh was like, since Itja only spoke ill of him. Despite the harsh lessons he had learned over the years, from soldiers chasing him down to nobles killing innocents, he still wanted to believe the best in people.

Ryou must have visibly deflated, because Malik gave him a look of pity. "What? Were you expecting another answer?" He asked.

Ryou knew speaking badly of the Pharaoh was treason. He bit his lip. "My teacher always tells me bad things about Pharaoh Atem. I've been curious to know what he's actually like."

Malik sighed and leaned his head against the cave wall. "It doesn't really matter what he's like. What matters is that he's been chosen by the Gods, and the Gods know best." Malik looked to Ryou again. "But you know that already."

He sighed and nodded. "Of course... I'm sorry."

Malik growled a little under his breath. "It doesn't matter what the Pharaoh does… no matter if he's a bad person, if he's cruel, if he isn't intelligent in the slightest."

Ryou flinched. Malik was beginning to sound like Bakura and Itja. "You know you shouldn't say things like that," he sighed. "You could get into trouble."

"With who? You?" Malik growled. "Let me tell you something. The glorious Pharaoh has forced my family to be lying, cheating, fucking priests. Pharaoh Atem is a snot-nosed brat, barely older than you. And yet he rules over the entirety of Egypt. He has no idea what he's doing–my father always has to give him advice and tell him how basic politics work. You'd think as the God-chosen ruler of an entire country, he would have his head out of his ass!"

Malik was panting by the end of the rant. Obviously, he had quite a few qualms regarding Pharaoh Atem. His anger almost scared Ryou, and if he wasn't used to such bitter talk towards Egypt's Ruler, he would have been shocked, to say the least.

"I don't care. Go ahead, turn me in. I'll be tried for treason, but I don't care anymore. I hate learning how to be a priest. There are so many rules, so much reading and worship, it's maddening." Malik growled, turning his head away again.

Ryou gazed at him and remained quiet for a long moment before he looked down and murmured, "…Why would I turn you in for something I'm told all the time?" He asked. "My teacher speaks ill of nobility and royalty quite often. He steals from tombs and draws profanity of the Pharaoh on walls. I was just curious if you had anything else to say on the matter… but I guess not."

"…You don't sound like you agree with him."

"Oh, I do." Ryou replied, rubbing his arm anxiously. "He's taken me to executions before. He's told me some of the terrible things wealthy people and royalty do… but as far as I know, it's all observation. My teacher is a mysterious man, but I don't know how close he's actually gotten to these people. How does he know they're all bad? And how does he know Pharaoh Atem is bad?"

"I don't know. But I do know Pharaoh Atem is a fool. He's young and arrogant. He wants to spread the borders and reclaim the lands we once had, but he hasn't dedicated enough resources or manpower to fuel the army to do it. He's going to send thousands to their deaths just for an attempt for glory."

"…Why haven't I heard about this?"

"He's only discussed it with my father and a few high council members, but it's an example of his stupidity." Malik spat. "He has no idea what he's doing. Not only he, but all the past Pharaohs. My family's destiny is to be seated at the foot of the Pharaoh for the next millennial. What sort of fate is that?"

"But priests are powerful, aren't they?"

"Not in the eyes of arrogant rulers such as Atem. He does not value my father's words. He treats the Ishtar family lower than dirt. The whole line of Pharaohs have for as long as the Ishtar name has existed." He growled lowly. "I didn't want to be part of it, but I was forced. I go to lessons each and every day. I pray to the Gods relentlessly. I bless the dead. It's not something to have pride in; I hate it, and yet my father is proud. My father thinks the Ishtar family has been fortunate. His head is full of clouds."

Ryou sighed. He tried to have sympathy for Malik. "Why don't you just... leave?"

"That would be a disgrace to the Ishtar name. I would have betrayed my whole family in doing so." Malik replied before he sighed. "At this point, I wouldn't care. My siblings don't give a damn about me anyway." He added sourly.

Ryou blinked, recalling that he had heard him speaking with those two in the inn. They had been his brother and sister. He remembered their words, harsh as they were, they only had Malik's best interest at heart…

…But it wasn't his place to assume that. He had no idea what their family dynamic was like, but from the sounds of it, it was suffocating. He had spent his life relatively free. Even as a child, he was carefree, playing in the canal with his brother and sister, and enjoying warm bread next to his mother in the evening. In recent years, his life was hectic, but he was still free. He had no real obligations tethering him to one place. He had his beloved brother and their teacher, and that's all he ever needed.

"…I'm sorry." He finally muttered.

"Don't be. I don't like pity." Malik replied sharply.

"But I still am sorry. I'm free. Bakura is my only family. I don't have my future set out in front of me. I have no idea what will happen. The uncertainty is… scary, but I think I would rather want the freedom to decide my path rather than have it all planned." Ryou admitted. "As long as I have my brother, I'll be okay."

"…You care a lot about your brother." Malik observed after a moment of quiet. "He seems like he's quite mean to you."

"He means well." Ryou replied with a small smile. "I care a lot about him, and I know he cares about me, even if he's short-tempered. He's the one that's protected me since we were very young."

"I suppose you two are twins?"

Ryou nodded. "And he's a few minutes older. He pretends like he's several years older, though." He chuckled.

"Superiority complex, eh?" Malik asked before he let out a small laugh. It made Ryou smile. It seemed Malik was in a bit of a better mood now.

"Hey. I'll go find Itja and ask if you can be untied." Ryou suggested as he suddenly stood up. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." He added with a chuckle before he raced out of the cave.

He was in a good mood as well. Even if their choice of topic had been on the heavy side, he felt better. He never spoke to anyone outside his small, dysfunctional family, and he found it to be refreshing.

He found Itja perched on a rock, running a sharpening stone along his dagger. He didn't look up as Ryou approached, but Ryou knew he was aware of his presence, he always did. However, before Ryou could say anything, a toothy grin pulled at his lips.

"Did you hear, Ryou?" he asked, scraping the stone harshly against his dagger. "Malik knows exactly how to get to Pharaoh Atem."

"O-oh. Yeah, he does." Ryou replied hesitantly. Itja's tone made him a little nervous. "Um… I was wondering–"

"Finally, my plan is going to come into play." Itja interrupted, glancing up from his task, his eyes blazing in a way that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"Your plan…?"

Itja just chuckled darkly and looked back down at his dagger. Ryou was silent for a moment, a little scared to talk, but he spoke up anyway. "Um… can you possibly untie Malik now?"

"We can't afford him running away." Itja replied sharply.

"B-but he won't! I'll keep an eye on him."

"You?" Itja asked with a snort. "Malik is stronger. He could easily overpower you and get away."

"But… he wouldn't even know which way to go. He wasn't conscious when Bakura and I brought him here. He knows he'll die if he goes racing into the desert."

Itja cast a warning glance at him, forcing him to quiet down. He then spoke, "I don't like how merciful you're being. If we didn't need more information out of him, he would be dead by now."

Ryou thickly swallowed. "I… I think he can help more than you think. He… um..."

"Spit it out, boy."

"…He really dislikes the Pharaoh. The whole royal family, actually. His family is forced into serving the Pharaoh, which he resents. He might be able to help more... because you both hate the Pharaoh..." he trailed away, shuffling his feet a bit.

Ryou seemed to have Itja's attention now. He put down the sharpening stone and ran his thumb along the blade. Crimson beaded up from an invisible cut. "Oh?"

Ryou nodded slowly, watching Itja closely.

"Interesting..." he mused as he licked the blood off his finger and stuffed his dagger between his hip and shendi."I've got planning to do." He chuckled as he began walking away.

Ryou blinked after him, confused for a moment. "W-wait! Can I untie Malik?" He called after Itja.

He didn't get an answer.

…

The King of Thieves was in a remarkably good mood, Ryou noticed. That evening, he had caught a feast for all of them. He had hunted down a gazelle, which they were currently roasting bits of the meat over a fire. The sun had set, only a bit of orange lingering on the horizon. He shivered when there was a cold breeze and shuffled closer to the fire.

Itja had allowed Malik to join then. He had been untied, but he was under very close supervision by the thief. He sat near Ryou, staring into the flames with his knees up to his chest. He hadn't said much since his and Ryou's conversation earlier, so he was wondering what could be going through the priest's mind.

Itja pulled the piece of meat away from the fire and passed it to Malik. "Here. Eat."

Malik stared at skewered piece of cooked flesh with distrust, looking as if he would refuse, but he thought the better of it and ripped it from Itja's hand. After a moment, he began eating.

Itja watched him eat with interest. Ryou had come to learn that such a look should be feared, or at least wary of. The way his eyes glinted dangerously, and a lazy smirk hung at the edge of his mouth. Ryou had a hunch of why Itja was particularly interested in the boy; he was obviously in some way useful to his plan.

Itja would sometimes mention this "plan" of this, but never elaborated on the details. Ryou wasn't entirely sure what the plan of him entailed, only that he had been working towards it for as long as the boy had known him. He only vaguely knew it had something to do with the Pharaoh. He wondered if he planned on stealing from the Ruler of Egypt; however, this seemed very reckless, and Ryou wasn't sure what Itja could possibly gain from it.

Ryou glanced to Bakura. He was glaring at Malik, distrust in his harsh gaze. He sighed and took one of the skewered pieces of meat, deciding it was best to lay low and watched how things would play out.

Malik sat notably closer to Ryou, which made him a little wary. He liked Malik, but there was no telling what the man would do. It would be all too easy for Malik to grab him and hold a knife to his throat. That was a bit of an unrealistic thought perhaps. Malik was in some unknown location in the desert, a man twice his size looming only a few feet away. Ryou felt safer knowing Itja was close.

"So… Malik," Itja began, almost nonchalantly, "Tell me, what do you think of Egypt?"

Malik notably tensed more, if that were possible, and narrowed his lavender gaze.

"Does it matter?" He asked distrustfully.

Itja tore a chunk of nearly-raw meat off the partially cooked leg, and as a bit of blood and juice trickled down his chin, he grinned.

"Of course. The opinion of the future right-hand priest of the Pharaoh is very valuable indeed."

Malik scoffed under his breath and glared into the flame.

"What do you want from me?" He suddenly demanded, slamming his fist against the sandy earth in a bout of frustration. "First you tie me up, beat me, then release and feed me. Now you want to know my opinion on Egypt of all things?"

Bakura snickered under his breath, earning a glare from the priest-to-be.

"Don't laugh!" He barked. "I want to know what the hell is going on."

"That," Itja began, taking another voracious bite, "Is none of your concern. However, if you cooperate, maybe I'll let you in on a little secret."

"What kind of secret would I want to know from you of all people?" Malik growled. "I want to go home."

"Do you really?"

Malik paused. His knuckles went bite as he grasped his stick.

"Of course I do." He replied.

"Really? Because I hear that you hate your job."

A pause.

"Am I correct in that deduction? You hate being a priest. You hate how tedious is, how you're disrespected by the man you're supposed to be counseling. How you have to pray and bless, and that's all you'll have for the rest of your life."

While Malik looked furiously into the flames, Itja looked rather confident in his assumption. His grin looked wolfish with the blood staining his lips and chin.

"Go on. Admit it. You don't have to hide it anymore."

"Shut up."

"Say you hate it."

"Stop!"

"Say it!"

"I fucking hate it!" Malik snarled, throwing his half eaten meal on the ground. "I hate it so damn much! Just the thought of having to do this for the rest of my life makes my blood boil. I don't want it! I don't fucking want it! My family doesn't give a damn about what I want, though. They're all expecting me to become the Pharaoh's right-hand priest–I don't fucking want to work with that fucking snot-nosed brat!"

Malik was panting, while Itja looked like he had just come across a river made of gold and silver. Bakura appeared surprised, a rare emotion for him, and even a little taken aback by the angry confession. Ryou felt the need to comfort the other boy. But he kept quiet.

"You would be better off if… the Pharaoh was no longer around, yes?" Itja ventured, undeterred by the long-winded, rage-fueled speech.

"…What are you getting at..?"

"If the Pharaoh died. Wouldn't you be happier?" He asked, his voice almost innocent.

"Of course. But Pharaoh Atem is alive and well. He won't be dying anytime soon." Malik muttered.

"I wouldn't count on it." Itja replied.

Malik looked up, confused, while Itja suddenly got to his feet.

The sky was dark behind his flickering form, the red and orange flames making him glow menacingly. His gaze intensified as he looked around the three of them, and Ryou swore, he looked almost crazed, and yet he was entranced. The next words he spoke sent shivers down his spine.

"Let's kill a God."

* * *

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